Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet is a must read. Published in 2008, author Michael T. Klare does a stand-up job of shaking the reader out of his comfort zone.

Consider the following points:

80% of known oil reserves in the world are controlled by National Oil firms. Granted, Saudi Aramco is one such National Oil Firm that is friendly towards America but that too could change should the Saudi Royals come under duress from the fundamentalist Islamic movement. America is thus at the mercy of the world for its oil ( and its way of life ).

50% of the world's oil production comes from 116 giant fields - many of which have hit peak production.

By 2012 the world will be using 96 million barrels of oil a day. The IEA reckons that the global oil industry will be hard pressed to meet this demand.