--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Americans once believed that their…" description: "\"Americans once believed that their prosperity and way of life depended on having assured access to Persian Gulf oil. Today, that is no longer the case...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/andrew-bacevich-26572_assumption_americans-once-believed-that-their-prosp_143947.jpg" --- # Americans once believed that their prosperity and way of… ![“Americans once believed that their prosperity and way of life depended on having assured access to Persian Gulf oil. Today, that is no longer the case. The United States is once more an oil exporter. Available and accessible reserves of oil and natural gas in North America are far greater than was…” quote by Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/andrew-bacevich-26572_assumption_americans-once-believed-that-their-prosp_143947.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/andrew-bacevich-26572_assumption_americans-once-believed-that-their-prosp_143947.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0e8/andrew-bacevich-26572_assumption_americans-once-believed-that-their-prosp_143947.jpg) > “Americans once believed that their prosperity and way of life depended on having assured access to Persian Gulf oil. Today, that is no longer the case. The United States is once more an oil exporter. Available and accessible reserves of oil and natural gas in North America are far greater than was once believed. Yet the assumption that the Persian Gulf still qualifies as crucial to American national security persists in Washington. Why?” [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. U.S. strategic thinking clings to outdated oil‑centric security assumptions despite abundant domestic energy resources. **In simple terms:** America still worries about Gulf oil even though it now produces more itself. Key Takeaway Update security policies to reflect current energy realities. Themes geopolitics energy security policy inertia national security resource independence Mood critical analytical Type political strategic When to use this quote - government planning - energy investment - foreign policy debates - public discourse Key Concepts strategic studies economics political science Questions to Reflect On - Why do policymakers cling to old assumptions? - How can domestic energy reshape security? A Different Perspective Changing entrenched narratives is politically challenging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assumption](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [National security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/national-security/) [Natural gas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/natural-gas/) [North america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/north-america/) [Persian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persian/) [Persian gulf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persian-gulf/) [Prosperity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prosperity/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Way of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-life/) ## Related quotes > [...by serving as the dominant power in the Gulf, WE maintain a 'stranglehold' over the economies of other nations. This gives us extraordinary leverage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-klare/by-serving-as-the-dominant-power-in-the-gulf-we-maintain-a/) [Michael Klare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-klare/) > [Whoever controls the flow of Persian Gulf oil has a stranglehold not only on our economy but also on the other countries of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/whoever-controls-the-flow-of-persian-gulf-oil-has-a-stranglehold-not/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [Canada has sent an army of 1,000 soldiers to occupy the Muslim country of Afghanistan (and ships to the Persian Gulf),](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-galloway/canada-has-sent-an-army-of-1-000-soldiers-to-occupy-the-muslim/) [George Galloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-galloway/) > [We're on our way to the Persian Gulf. Wait! It's a mistake! I thought they said Persian Golf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hope/we-re-on-our-way-to-the-persian-gulf-wait-it-s-a-mistake-i-thought/) [Bob Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hope/) > [The bulk of extra supplies that could be put into the market come from two places. One, they come from other Persian Gulf suppliers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-yergin/the-bulk-of-extra-supplies-that-could-be-put-into-the-market-come/) [Daniel Yergin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-yergin/) > [Our aim is to gain control of the two great treasure houses on which the West depends: The energy treasure house of the Persian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonid-brezhnev/our-aim-is-to-gain-control-of-the-two-great-treasure-houses-on-which/) [Leonid Brezhnev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonid-brezhnev/) > [Ironically, the Canadian naval vessels, aircraft and personnel in the Persian Gulf I mentioned earlier who are fighting terrorism will provide more support indirectly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cellucci/ironically-the-canadian-naval-vessels-aircraft-and-personnel-in-the/) [Paul Cellucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cellucci/) > [As I have said for many years throughout this land, we're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/as-i-have-said-for-many-years-throughout-this-land-we-re-borrowing/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [My guess is that Trump will begin withdrawing troops from Europe at a slow pace. He will demand a renovation of the Iran Accord…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-davidson/my-guess-is-that-trump-will-begin-withdrawing-troops-from-europe-at-a/) [Lawrence Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-davidson/) > [When our sailors in the Persian Gulf accidentally strayed into Iranian waters, that could have sparked a major international incident. Some folks here in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/when-our-sailors-in-the-persian-gulf-accidentally-strayed-into/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ The climate, financial and national security crises are all connected. They share the same cause: Our \[the USA's\] absurd dependency on foreign oil. As… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/the-climate-financial-and-national-security-crises-are-all-connected/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) > [Trump's tendency is to rub shoulders with dictators. We have seen this with his attitude toward Russia and also toward the present dictatorship in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-davidson/trump-s-tendency-is-to-rub-shoulders-with-dictators-we-have-seen-this/) [Lawrence Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-davidson/) > [Using overwhelming air power to utterly and completely destroy ISIS. To put things in perspective, in the first Persian Gulf War, we launched roughly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/using-overwhelming-air-power-to-utterly-and-completely-destroy-isis/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [Our firm view is that the president has no legal authority, none whatsoever, to commit American troops to war in the Persian Gulf or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-j-mitchell/our-firm-view-is-that-the-president-has-no-legal-authority-none/) [George J. Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-j-mitchell/) > [Iraq does pose a serious threat to the stability of the Persian Gulf and we should organize an international coalition to eliminate his access…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-gore/iraq-does-pose-a-serious-threat-to-the-stability-of-the-persian-gulf/) [Al Gore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-gore/) ## More by Andrew Bacevich > [I began to appreciate that authentic truth is never simple and that any version of truth handed down from on high - whether by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/i-began-to-appreciate-that-authentic-truth-is-never-simple-and-that/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [Apart from a commendable determination to discomfit Trump and members of his inner circle (select military figures excepted, at least for now), journalism remains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/apart-from-a-commendable-determination-to-discomfit-trump-and-members/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [We are squandering our wealth. In many respects, to the extent that we persist in our imperial delusions, we're also going to squander our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/we-are-squandering-our-wealth-in-many-respects-to-the-extent-that-we/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [Memorial Day orators will say that a G.I.'s life is priceless. Don't believe it. I know what value the U.S. government assigns to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/memorial-day-orators-will-say-that-a-g-i-s-life-is-priceless-don-t/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [Each year terrorist attacks kill far fewer Americans than do auto accidents, drug overdoses, or even lightning strikes. Yet in the allocation of government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/each-year-terrorist-attacks-kill-far-fewer-americans-than-do-auto/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [Are there any military actions that the president of the United States may not order on his own authority? If so, what are they?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/are-there-any-military-actions-that-the-president-of-the-united/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [In present-day America, expressing reverence for those who serve in uniform is something akin to a religious obligation. Everyone professes to cherish America's "warriors."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/in-present-day-america-expressing-reverence-for-those-who-serve-in/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [For the majority of contemporary Americans, the essence of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness centers on a relentless personal quest to acquire,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/for-the-majority-of-contemporary-americans-the-essence-of-life/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [Sometimes, when you can't fix the problem on your own, you need to make some compromises and find the partners who can get the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/sometimes-when-you-can-t-fix-the-problem-on-your-own-you-need-to-make/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [Why do terrorist attacks that kill a handful of Europeans command infinitely more American attention than do terrorist attacks that kill far larger numbers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/why-do-terrorist-attacks-that-kill-a-handful-of-europeans-command/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [Time and again-from the collapse of the Soviet Union to the events of 9/11 to the onset of the Arab Spring-events have caught the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/time-and-again-from-the-collapse-of-the-soviet-union-to-the-events-of/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [The U.S. has become a defacto one-party state, with the legislative branch permanently controlled by an incumbent's party and every president exploiting his role…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/the-u-s-has-become-a-defacto-one-party-state-with-the-legislative/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [If any overarching conclusion emerges from the Afghan and Iraq Wars (and from their Israeli equivalents), it's this: victory is a chimera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/if-any-overarching-conclusion-emerges-from-the-afghan-and-iraq-wars/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [To divine the course of world events, you'd do as well to probe the entrails of dead animals. Better still, ask your hairstylist. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/to-divine-the-course-of-world-events-you-d-do-as-well-to-probe-the/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) > [The U.S. military today garrisons the planet in a fashion without historical precedent. Successive administrations, regardless of party, justify and perpetuate this policy by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-bacevich/the-u-s-military-today-garrisons-the-planet-in-a-fashion-without/) [Andrew Bacevich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) [Explore all 21 Andrew Bacevich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-bacevich/) ## More Assumption quotes > [Next to the assumption of power was the responsibility of relinquishing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/next-to-the-assumption-of-power-was-the-responsibility-of/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [It's difficult for people to come to the understanding that only a small minority of the people ever really get the word about life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/earl-nightingale/it-s-difficult-for-people-to-come-to-the-understanding-that-only-a/) [Earl Nightingale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/earl-nightingale/) > [Much like teaching art to young art students age 10 to 15 or so on, you have to break it down into bite-sized pieces,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kehinde-wiley/much-like-teaching-art-to-young-art-students-age-10-to-15-or-so-on/) [Kehinde Wiley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kehinde-wiley/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [The risk of developing carcinoma of the lung increases steadily as the amount smoked increases. If the risk among non-smokers is taken as unity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-doll/the-risk-of-developing-carcinoma-of-the-lung-increases-steadily-as/) Richard Doll > [Fortunately, the mind is restless; when it uncovers a layer of its own deception, gives up an illusion, exposes a lie, it does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-chernin/fortunately-the-mind-is-restless-when-it-uncovers-a-layer-of-its-own/) [Kim Chernin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-chernin/) > [The possibility of saying anything about a thing rests on the assumption that it preserves its identity, or continues to be the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-knight/the-possibility-of-saying-anything-about-a-thing-rests-on-the/) [Frank Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-knight/) > [She spent hours drawing on her own, trying to perfect her craft. And when she got into music, she had that same diligence in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-joplin/she-spent-hours-drawing-on-her-own-trying-to-perfect-her-craft-and/) [Laura Joplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-joplin/) > [If they are, then the only ultimate truths are the particulars of concrete experience, and no postulate or general assumption is inherent in science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chauncey-wright/if-they-are-then-the-only-ultimate-truths-are-the-particulars-of/) [Chauncey Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chauncey-wright/) > [If he's - the inference is that somehow he thinks slavery is a - is a noble institution I would - I would strongly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/if-he-s-the-inference-is-that-somehow-he-thinks-slavery-is-a-is-a/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [Leadership, pure and simple, is the assumption of responsibility for the pursuit of excellence in group life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-selznick/leadership-pure-and-simple-is-the-assumption-of-responsibility-for/) Philip Selznick > [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/) [Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/) > [When I see a fan coming over, I can't help but make an assumption about what they want to talk about. A middle-aged American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-dormer/when-i-see-a-fan-coming-over-i-can-t-help-but-make-an-assumption/) [Natalie Dormer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-dormer/) > [The Bell curve is a fact of life. The blacks on average score 85 per cent on IQ and it is accurate, nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kuan-yew/the-bell-curve-is-a-fact-of-life-the-blacks-on-average-score-85-per/) [Lee Kuan Yew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kuan-yew/) > [Pussy Riot have certainly changed some people's assumptions about the role of political art and the relationship between the intelligentsia and the church. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masha-gessen/pussy-riot-have-certainly-changed-some-people-s-assumptions-about-the/) [Masha Gessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masha-gessen/) [Browse all 1,277 Assumption quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assumption/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Americans once believed that their prosperity and way of life depended on having assured access to Persian Gulf oil. Today, that is no longer the case. The United States is once more an oil exporter. 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