Ash: You can also download the entire document in .pdf format (it’s 2MB, and about 300+ pgs). The abstract and Executive Summary are both very interesting, as are the comments from the various oil, auto and energy heads and CEOs.

Rus: I think if you look at Saudi Arabia pre-WWI, you’ll have your answer. It obviously had strategic importance starting in WWI, as the British used the Bedouin tribes in an insurgent movement against the Ottoman Turks, and then post-WWII when their oil fueled the postwar expansion and re-industrialization. Take away the billions in petrodollars and you’re not left with much of anything from an industrial or technological standpoint. As far as strategic importance goes, well, the only reason we’ve expended so much blood and treasure is to keep the oil flowing.