Not-Pro-Mahathir in the letter Dr M's 'oil as weapon' hits bull's eye in response to my earlier letter forgets that while the Muslim world's control of reserves is large, its leverage is overestimated.

The politics of oil is really about cheap oil for energy, not absolute. For example, most of the oil consumption in the US is for automobiles and other transportation. It is not really for powering factories, heating homes, etc.

The truth is the US can easily eliminate its dependence on oil if it is willing to pass laws on zero emission, fuel cells, nuclear power, etc. which will make cars very expensive and politicians unpopular.

In fact at US$50 or more per barrel of oil, the alternatives become viable. Hence, there is a limit to the value of all those oil reserves in Muslim hands.

The truth is that it makes also no economic sense to switch away from oil for the foreseeable future. If the US imposed standards that will reduce oil prices to US$5 per barrel say over the next 10 years, it will devastate the oil countries economies and terrorism will destroy us all.

Hence, while the US is selfish in that cheap oil is a source of political handicap, it also makes absolutely no sense to just radically eliminate it.

In the end, control of commodity is never a real strength. Time and gain, we have seen that it is control of logic and technology that is the real strength. The quicker we get away from the idea that there is any other way besides to compete in the real market of products and ideas, the faster we will become less of a victim and more in control of our own destiny.