text: would the benifits of war in the east, ie oil, economic stimulation, patriotism, outweigh the cost of 3,000+?   the war for oil is not just limited to the middle east. it is a worldwide war that you can learn about if you watch the news carefull each night.  in the united states and europe, new demand for electricity is outpacing the new supply of power and natural gas and raising the specter of more rolling blackouts. in the "emerging" economies, such as brazil, india and especially china, energy demand is rising so fast it may double by 2020. and this only hints at the energy crisis facing the developing world, where nearly 2 billion people -- a third of the world's population -- have almost no access to electricity or liquid fuels and are thus condemned to a medieval existence that breeds despair, resentment and, ultimately, conflict.   in other words, we are on the cusp of a new kind of war -- between those who have enough energy and those who do not but are increasingly willing to go out and get it. while nations have always competed for oil, it seems more and more likely that the race for a piece of the last big reserves of oil and natural gas will be the dominant geopolitical theme of the 21st century.   granted, the united states, with its vast economic and military power, would probably win any direct "hot" war for oil. the far more worrisome scenario is that an escalating rivalry among other big consumers will spark new conflicts -- conflicts that might require u.s. intervention and could easily destabilize the world economy upon which american power ultimately rests.   just look at hugo chavez threatening to cut off the oil supply from venezuela. this is only one small signal for the impending global war for oil.