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good topic, mental exodus. i've cut and pasted my previous reply to u, and am adding some more.
yes. wars these days r fought 4 oil. the next stage will b war 4 water. and little is done to takle the problem at it's roots. the problem is that too much power is in the hads of the oil industry, the small elite that owns it, and the governments who r in their pockets.
now people like bush c oil as an essential part of capitalism. cutting oil usage, he says, is against the interests of america. it would damage industry, the stock-market, and ultimately the whole western way of life.
i disagree. capitalism is built on growth. the expansion of markets, the continuous increase of investment, production and consumption. oil provides much of the energy to achieve this, so removing it, according to those who have little imagination, would undermine the whole system. but oil is a limited resource, and were it truely fundamental to the system that takes infinity as a prerequisite to it's existance, capitalism would b short-lived.
so, the substitution of oil, and this is what many can't see, is fundamental to capitalism. and it's possible.
not only is it possible, it would b a benefit. energy efficiency and new, cleaner sources of energy, new materials and their use have an enourmous economic potential. research, production (or reproduction?)... a whole new industry for capitalism to thrive and grow on. oil could then b used in much better ways: for example with the oil burned in a second in a motorcar u can produce 1000 t-shirts.
a few people would loose some of their wealth: oil tycoons and the odd sheiik, but few people will cry 4 them.
the EU has begun to make it's first tentative steps in this direction, and i strongly encourage them to further these efforts.
this is another reason why bush and his administration are seriously wrong. if europe undertakes this new path with more zeal, it might well return to being the main world-power in 50 years time. some US industries r aware of this, but all efforts r stiffled by an overpowerful oil industry.
oh, and let us not forget the environmental issue. i'll write about when i have a few more minutes
vesa makes some similar point in discussing the global power structure at the moment. the way i see it, no matter what religion, political or economic structure a region or the world has had, there have always been individuals, or small groups of individuals, who have come out on top at the expense of others. and when revolutions overthrew these, they just ended up substituting an elite whith another. maybe it's just the perverse way of evolution: the people best equipped for the environment they live in comes out on top. in humans, the best equipment is knowledge. many people use their power in a good and charitable way, but not all. many r far to selfish.
so, were a new world government to b created, i have little reason to imagine that things would go in a different way.
that's for power structures. then there's the fact that far too many people don't have the means or the ability to accept other views and ways of life. all wars and conflicts, large or small, have been fought over religion or resources, often with one as an excuse to the other. despite the technology we have today, where u can chat to a person on the other side of the world, or on the moon for that matter, not everyone has access to these means, and even many of those who do remain impregnable to outside influence. they stay stuck in their old ways and remain aggressive towards what they see as 'the other', resulting in more or less continuous conflict. look at many african or asian states, look at the middle east or northern irland.
no. i have little faith in humans. not in individuals: some people achieve extrodinary things: great acts of charity, invention, genius, and so on. but for each of these there is a negative example, and there is always someone who benefits over others.
so, in my humble opinion, if there ever will be a new world government, a truely globally just one, star trek style, it certainly won't b for a long time yet.
that doesn't stop us from trying, of course 
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NFA

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