Energy Victory: Winning the War on Terror by Breaking Free of Oil

by Robert Zubrin

Overview

In this compelling argument for a new direction in US energy policy, world-renowned engineer and best-selling author Robert Zubrin lays out a bold plan for breaking the economic stranglehold that the OPEC oil cartel has on our country and the world. Zubrin presents persuasive evidence that our decades-long relationship with OPEC has resulted in the looting of our economy, the corruption of our political system, and now the funding and protection of terrorist regimes and movements that are committed to our destruction. Debunking the false solutions and myths that have deterred us from taking necessary action, Zubrin exposes the fakery that has allowed many politicians--including current US president George W. Bush--to posture that they are acting to resolve this problem while actually doing nothing significant toward that goal.

Zubrin's plan is straightforward and practical. He argues that if Congress passed a law requiring that all new cars sold in the USA be flex-fueled--that is, able to run on any combination of gasoline or alcohol fuels--this one action would destroy the monopoly that the oil cartel has maintained on the globe's transportation fuel supply, opening it up to competition from alcohol fuels produced by farmers worldwide. According to Zubrin's estimates, within three years of enactment, such a regulation would put 50 million cars on the road in the USA capable of running on high-alcohol fuels, and at least an equal number overseas. He further advocates tariff policies favoring alcohol over petroleum imports.

Energy Victory shows how we could be using fuel dollars that are now being sent to countries with ties to terrorism to help farmers here and abroad,boosting our own economy and funding world development. Furthermore, by switching to alcohol fuels, which pollute less than gasoline and are made from plants that draw carbon dioxide from the air, this plan will facilitate the worldwide economic growth required to eliminate global poverty without the fear of greenhouse warming. Energy Victory offers an exciting vision for a dynamic, new energy policy, which will not only go a long way toward safeguarding homeland security in the future but will also provide solutions for global warming and Third World development.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591025917
Publisher:	Prometheus Books
Publication date:	10/31/2007
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.40(w) x 9.35(h) x 1.07(d)

About the Author

Robert Zubrin (Indian Hills, CO) is president of Pioneer Astronautics and also president of the Mars Society. For many years he worked as a senior engineer for Lockheed Martin. In addition, he is the author of the critically acclaimed nonfiction books The Case for Mars, Entering Space, Mars on Earth; the science fiction novels The Holy Land and First Landing; and articles in Scientific American, The New Atlantis, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Mechanical Engineering, and The American Enterprise. He has appeared on major media including CNN, CSPAN, the BBC, the Discovery Channel, NBC, ABC, and NPR.

What People are Saying About This

James Woolsey

"Robert Zubrin pulls no punches and moves effortlessly from a fascinating oil-centered take on WW II to making the mathematics of oil alternatives intelligible to lay readers. Oil and hydrogen take huge hits and alcohol fuels win big. Don't miss this one."--(James Woolsey, former Director, Central Intelligence Agency)

Gal Luft

"To win the war on terror, we need to remove the yoke of our oil dependence and cut the flow of petrodollars to regimes that spread radical Islam. Energy Victory is a bold, yet realistic plan to do just that. It is a vitally important book about the most critical issue we face today."--(Dr. Gal Luft, Executive Director, Institute for the Analysis of Global Security)

Anne Korin

"Robert Zubrin's Energy Victory highlights fuel choice in the transportation sector as a real world option and imperative to reducing America's dependence on the petrostates that fund radical Islam. It is a compelling read."--(Anne Korin, Executive Director, Set America Free Coalition; Editor, Energy Security)

Clifford D. May

"Americans are buying ammunition for their enemies every time they buy gas. Energy security is the way out of this dilemma and Dr. Zubrin has a plan to achieve it."--(Clifford D. May, Syndicated Columnist, President, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies)

James P. Clark

"In Energy Victory, Zubrin supplies a forceful plan to finally break oil's global stranglehold and seriously address world development. This is something we've really needed for some time. Washington should sit up and take notice."--(James P. Clark, Chairman, World Technology Network)

George Weigel

"Americans are finally becoming aware that energy isn't just an economic or environmental issue; it's a grave national security issue. It's long past time to stop bankrolling terrorism by transferring billions of dollars to unstable and corrupt regimes that just happen to be sitting on top of most of the world's petroleum. Energy Victory is an important, timely contribution to the debate over breaking the oil habit and achieving energy security."--(George Weigel, Senior Fellow, Ethics and Public Policy Center; Author, Witness to Hope)