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I would have to agree with the fact that oil is not the future energy source. Saudi Arabia has several advantages as well as some very serious disadvantages compared with the US. The most significant is their cost to just feed and provide water for their citizens. Their next energy source will be solar and they must get it right the first time. Then they need to develop agriculture to make their population self sufficient.
It's fairly easy for countries currently transitioning to advanced status from primitive status only a few generations ago to look at history and avoid the mistakes of those who pioneered the process. When they also have the additional "advantage" of not having to deal with election cycles and other burdens like "democracy" and maintain public support, then they can look ahead in 50 and 100 year cycles and plan accordingly, even to the point of controlling the growth and health of their populations.
What I think should be the current energy policy is to use our resources inside the US and keep our wealth at home (at least in that respect), because by they time they have been depleted we will have transitioned to other sources in a more cost effective manner.
Seldom do the pioneers in civilization development do it in the best possible methods. I think eventually we may even find that the US itself will need to rethink it's political system to remove the incentive to purchase elections with short term thinking.
regards
Mech
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