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The United States consumes by far the largest amount of oil of any
country in the world at 19.7 million barrels per day, about one fourth
of the daily global total. (Japan comes in second at 5.4 million
barrels per day.) Saudi Arabia is by far the most oil-rich country in
the world. With 261.8 billion barrels of oil in its reserves it outranks
by tens of billions of barrels both Canada (whose Alberta tar sands, not
a traditional form of crude, bring its "reserves" to 180 billion
barrels) and Mexico (at 112.5 billion barrels). The relationship between
the United States and the Saudis, then, is fundamentally very simple:
Saudi Arabia has more oil than any other nation in the world and the
United States requires more oil than any other country.
Statistics about which countries supply the U.S. with oil follow a similar
pattern. According to the Energy Information Administration (EIA) in
2003, the United States imported on average 1,726 barrels of
oil per day from Saudi Arabia, making it the top U.S. supplier. Canada
(at 1,569 thousand barrels) and Mexico (at 1,549 thousand barrels) rank
second and third on the list of primary U.S. suppliers. About 95% of
the daily U.S. crude oil imports came from 15 countries, with Saudi
Arabia alone representing 18% of its oil. Although the U.S. government
has consistently explored alternative oil sources, the fact that
Saudi oil reserves exceed those of most other countries by hundreds of
billions of barrels virtually ensures that the U.S. dependence on Saudi
oil will last -- in some form and to some degree -- as long as America needs
oil.
Of course, U.S. relations with the Saudis are much more
complicated than the mechanics of supply and demand. The Middle East
has always been oil-rich, and America has always been oil-hungry, but in
recent years the political turmoil of the Persian Gulf region has made
U.S. dependence on the area's oil increasingly dangerous. With the
Persian Gulf countries including Bahrain, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar,
Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates supplying 25% of the daily crude
imports to the U.S., stability in the region has been a major focus of
U.S. foreign policy.
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Who's Who - Read about the
ten most influential members of the House of Saud.
Photo Essay - Take a look at
the faces and places of Saudi Arabia
Info-Graphic -
Examine the numbers of Muslims in the World and in the West.
Debate: Islam and
Democracy Two scholars, Dr. Daniel Pipes and Dr. Muqtedar Khan
discuss the compatibility of Islam and democracy.
Interactive Map: Middle
East- Learn more about the politics, population and history of
Middle East countries.
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