Oil and Terrorism

Terrorists typically have a cause that they believe in very strongly and they commit terrorist acts because they feel it is the most effective way to get their message heard. Terrorists believe that if they can cause enough devastation, that they will be taken seriously and that their message will reach the most people possible. They send strong messages to outsiders by the killing of innocent people and often capture the attention of many with these actions. However, as terrible as these human losses are, they are often not as effective as hurting others economically over long periods of time. When the anger of such attacks has faded, the financial aspects of an attack are left that continue to send out ripples. For this reason many terrorists have turned to oil as a weapon of terror.

Dependency

Terrorists recognize the dependency of much of the civilized world on oil. Terrorists know that entire economies are based on the importing and exporting of oil and realize that in order for many businesses to operate, transportation is needed and in order to have transportation, there must be oil. This is why terrorists have turned to suicide bombings and other horrific measures to destroy oil supplies. Attacks on oil sources force the price of oil upward, increase erratic market behavior and gets the attention of oil dependent countries.

Reaction

The reaction to such attacks on oil supplies is always to increase security. In recent years, there has been a movement towards finding alternative forms of energy. This would result in less harm to the environment due to the reduced amount of fossil fuel usage as well as take away this key weapon that is often used by terrorists. Terrorists may be able to destroy hundreds of oil drums, but it is next to impossible to take away an energy source such as solar power.

Economy

An increase in oil prices means an increase in shipping costs. This hurts virtually every business that relies on the producing of products to make profits. Oil products must be shipped in order to reach consumers. The increase in shipping costs can eat into a company’s bottom line and cause a decrease in stock value on the market. Thus, the company makes less money, the stockholders suffer, and the market as a whole takes a hit. With so many negatives associated with terrorism on oil supplies, it is easy to see why measures are being taken to stop such acts as well as reduce the economies of the world’s dependence upon oil