The Absurdity of Energy Independence

Of all the fatuous “debates” in Washington few can be as absurd or wearisome as the mantra, repeated by politicians of all parties, that it is time for the United States to wean itself off foreign oil and declare “energy independence”. Writing about the discovery of oil in Ghana, Foreign Policy’s Elizabeth Dickinson makes some fair points but, alas, also trots out a familiar refrain: “Wouldn’t it be nice to buy oil from a country with a relatively clean record in human rights, governance, and economic management?”

You’d never think that last year just 18% of US oil imports came from the...