Terrorism & Oil - Softcover

Adams, Neal; Neal, Adams

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0878148639 ISBN 13: 9780878148639

Publisher: Pennwell Books, 2002

Synopsis

Oil is the lifeblood that flows through the veins of industrialized nations. From gasoline to toothpaste and other practical necessities, oil's importance touches each and every one of us. Without oil, the world would cease to exist as we know it.

Terrorism & Oil is the first book to take an in-depth look at the oil industry’s vulnerabilities to terrorism. Written by Neal Adams, one of the most influential voices in the oil industry, Terrorism & Oil delivers a powerful and thought-provoking message to a society addicted to this threatened resource.

Divided into two sections—Education and Action—Terrorism & Oil is a rich source of information providing

· a history of terrorism and oil supply disruptions
· valuable production/consumption statistic tables and graphs
· an overview of transportation choke points and infrastructures
· valuable site assessment checklists
· an overview of typical terrorist weapons

Overall, Adams delivers thought-provoking content and draws soundly intelligent conclusions which make Terrorism & Oil a valuable must-read for a society facing a new era of terrorism.

About this title

About the Author:

Neal Adams’ expertise in the oil industry as a firefighter, blowout control specialist, engineer, and consultant, makes him one the most influential voices on terrorism in the oilfield. Mr. Adams has worked in 35 countries, including all the oil producing regions. He was instrumental in extinguishing the fires set by Saddam Hussein in the Kuwaiti oil fields during the Gulf War, and was honored with a plaque from the Kingdom of Kuwait in appreciation for his efforts. His heroics were documented in a technical video called Kuwait in Flames, which took top awards at the New York Film Festival in the industrial video category and first place in the 1993 Telly Awards. Adams has previously held top-secret clearance with the CIA, consulting on the Russian oil economy and its relationship to military issues. He conducts courses and has consulted for numerous international regulatory groups, including Lloyd’s of London, on issues of safety, security, and terror. In addition, he was technical advisor to Steven Seagal on the Warner Bros.® movie On Deadly Ground. Adams is the author of five books, 60 journal publications, and numerous technical research reports. He has been featured by many local, national, and international media outlets, including the BBC and Forbes Magazine. He is a black belt in martial arts and an eight-time karate world champion. Mr. Adams lives in Houston with his wife, two dogs, and cat.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.:

This book has the single focus of examining terrorism when directed against the oil community. Areas addressed herein include the following:

· Specific terrorist tactics and weapons that have been used against oil and that may be applied in future attacks.
· Attack methods against common oil targets with a description of recognition and handling techniques.
· U.S. and global economic shocks resulting from oil supply disruptions.
· Global and domestic choke points with the potential for major supply disruptions.
· Options to avoid terrorist attacks on oil targets and means to mitigate possible damage.

The text is divided into two sections, Education and Action, with a goal of serving two distinctly different readerships. If you work within the petroleum industry you may be already familiar with some of the issues of the first section, but the information lays important groundwork for the Action topics. Newcomers or those working outside the industry, particularly in government, financial, or service arenas will want to pay close attention to the Education points. The topics covered in this book are a concern for every individual in any industry.

Conscientious efforts have been made to avoid lengthy discussions of general terrorism topics and derivates including motivations, general recitation of historical terrorist events, a regrinding of 9/11, Iraq, Islamic fundamentalism, Muslims, Yasser Arafat, Al-Qaeda or Osama bin Ladin. An abundance of available reference sources address the issues, often in excruciating detail. A brief but considered introduction to terrorism has been prepared as a means to develop a level playing field for readers.

A reference list appears in the Appendix. A preponderance of the citations were used in developing more than a single chapter. To avoid the bulkiness of repeating citations in multiple chapters, a compendium approach was taken in creating a single reference listing.

Some readers will invariably differ with the author on issues such as data analyses, assessments, conclusions, and recommendations. The reader’s differences are invited and respected.

Public domain resources have been used extensively for research and writing. The U.S. Energy Information Administration and the Department of Defense have websites with an abundance of valuable data and information. CIA analyses and their photographic libraries accessed through the University of Texas online library were beneficial. Original hypotheses established at the initial phase of preparing this book found technical support through these sources. On the one hand, I am thankful for the availability and access to this information, and to the Internet for allowing easy entry to so many research sources. On the other hand, I am troubled because terrorists have the same opportunities.

This book has been written from the perspective of a hands-on engineer tasked with problem solving. Some views expressed are direct and to-the-point. I hope readers will not take offense when considering the world’s energy picture is not a bed of roses.

Neal Adams

2002

About this edition

• Publisher: Pennwell Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0878148639
• ISBN 13: 9780878148639
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208