SAUDI ARABIA USES OIL TO SOBER UP SOME ARAB HATERS AMONG AMERICA'S LIKUDIST ELITE

Oil remained the weapon of choice in the Saudi public relations arsenal with the United States.   Saudi Arabia used increased pumping of oil to remind the Sharonist (civilian) "hawks" at the Pentagon that the United States still needed the Kingdom.   With Venezuela's strikes, and Nigeria's chronic turmoil, Saudi Arabia stood as an island of productive stability.

It is estimated that the Saudis supply one-sixth of America's oil needs.  Saudi Arabia is known as the only producer with the spare capacity to replace oil which others, such as Venezuela, might fail to produce.  The Saudis are credited for quickly tapering off the severe oil disruption that took place in the aftermath of Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. 

It is estimated that U.S. dependency on Gulf oil will increase in the coming twenty years.