Is Hydrocarbon Man the Next Terrorist Target?

Daniel Yergin, in the prologue to his award winning book, uses the language of anthropology to describe what the human species became in the past century: Hydrocarbon Man. While the search continues for alternative fuels and millions are spent on research and development, modern man will continue for some time to come to be dependent on Persian Gulf oil: the strategic prize. This essay focuses on the terrorist threat to oil pipelines in the region.

The question is, given the strategic importance of Middle East oil to the West and its economic and technological dependence on oil: Why have pipelines in that part of the globe not been primary targets of international terrorism to date?

It is puzzling why terrorists have not chosen Middle East oil structures as targets. One terrorist expert puts it this way:

"Trying to find out why terrorists do what they do is a bit like trying to solve a good fictional murder in that one is dealing with the elements of motive, method, and opportunity. However, the plot is reversed. With the classic murder one starts with a victim, and has to determine the motive, methods, and opportunity involved in order to discover the perpetrator. With target selection on the other hand, the motives are known, the means can usually be estimated, and the opportunities are fairly plentiful. What one has to determine is who or what is likely to be the victim." Full article at: Terrorist Target

3 Comments
 

Primarily because A) If you attack the country that gives you protection and money you lose both of those things and B) See number 1

Why would a terrorist (And if you go with the idea that they want to harm the US then we are PRIMARILY talking about terrorists in the Arab world) attack the very countries that give them safety, security and an area to operate? Not only that but I'm fairly certain they would lose whatever popular support they have in that region if they start blowing up the things that provide for their domestic economies.

If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses - Henry Ford
 

Odio eos dolor rerum non et. Et ad commodi aut architecto fuga. Et qui laboriosam distinctio minus beatae nemo accusamus. Est qui beatae molestiae soluta.

Veniam autem et quos hic iste hic et. Cupiditate et et expedita nam ullam. Necessitatibus et enim assumenda maxime.

Illo iusto commodi quae dolorem. Nemo consequatur autem et aliquid sapiente magnam. Aut reiciendis et rerum reprehenderit magni in dolorem eaque.

Placeat aperiam quisquam laudantium culpa laudantium. Tempora provident tenetur iure qui qui est. Non nam et totam occaecati deserunt aspernatur. At et occaecati ullam.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (66) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”