Show The West should bargain Representatives of the Oil Producing and Exporting C Countries OPEC have been conferring recently on when and how much to raise the wholesale price of oil The rumors coming out of their meetings all amount to one thing bad news Some of the more greedy but fortunately fortunately for for- less influential OPEC members members members mem mem- bers are calling for price rises of 40 Even a 5 boost which Saudi Arabia is said to be arguing for could rocket US U.S. inflation and critically damage Western European economies From time to time Secretary Kissinger Kissinger Kissinger Kissin Kissin- ger has used strong words in talking with the OPEC leaderS leader He has warned that the US U.S. will not tolerate economic strangulation President-Elect President Carter aimed a warning at the OPEC nations inthe in inthe inthe the second debate suggesting embargoes embargoes embargoes embar embar- goes of critical US U.S. goods and services as a countermeasure Economic wars can be dirty business and whole people-whole populations-can populations suf suf- suf- suf fer History shows that economic wars often escalate to shooting wars This time we need common sense not bombs or bombast The OPEC nations have something we desperately need Collectively the US Japan and the Western European countries have something they need equally technology desperately-technology management management management man man- skills and surplus agricultural al products Therefore there is a perfect perfect perfect per per- environment for healthy bargaining bar bar- gaining The OPEC countries do not stand in such a healthy bargaining position with the Soviet Union The Soviets do dp not need their oil and they have little in the theline theline theline line of technology and management skills to offer and absolutely no food stuffs If however we get nosed hard-nosed and refuse to bargain sensibly the Soviets Soviets So So- viets views will step in with the offer of military military military mili mili- tary equipment and a nuclear umbrella umbrella umbrella um um- brella to protect their And then where will we be The point that we must not fail to capitalize on is that the OPEC countries want to keep East and West at arms distance distance distance dis dis- dis- dis tance because they are literally in the middle They dont don't want Armageddon They just want yellow gold or green dollars for black oil Were We're the experts at private enter- enter prise-at prise Yankee bargaining The Soviets Soviets So So- viets views are experts at power politics And that means that we had better get there in a hurry and do our thing The alternatives range from rusty Cadillacs to nuclear holocaust r |