er for the United States to sustain its economy. However, many problems have arisen as a result of America's dependence on foreign oil. For example, a great deal of concern has been leveled at the amounts of pollution which are caused by burning oil-based fuels. In addition, many critics of the U.S. oil policy are concerned by the occasional need to risk American lives and other assets in order to continue protecting the nation's access to Middle East supply lines. Because of such problems, many political analysts are arguing that the United States needs to "kick the habit" of its dependency on Middle East oil. The situation is slowly changing, and work is being done to find alternative sources for fuel in the United States. Nevertheless, there is a continued need for Middle East oil at this time, and thus there is also a continued need for using the U.S. military in order to protect its availability. As noted by Alan Tonelson in the journal Foreign Affairs, use of the U.S. military will be required for "maintaining the flow of rea
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