The Obama administration has explicitly said it wants to lessen US dependence on Middle Eastern oil, and it appears to be making progress towards that goal.
The latest data available from the US government
shows that oil imports from the Gulf accounted for 13 per cent of the country's total oil imports in August, and just 7.8 per cent of consumption.
That is roughly a one-third decline from the average levels in 2003, when Gulf oil represented 20.4 per cent of total oil imports by the world's biggest economy and 12.5 per cent of the nation's petroleum supply.
The US imported less than 1.5 million barrels per day (bpd) of crude in August from Arab Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait, the UAE and Qatar. It does not import any oil from Iran due to sanctions over that country's nuclear programme.
Total oil imports of 11.2 million bpd during the month supplied 60 per cent of US consumption, which stood at 18.7 million bpd. Of the imports, 41 per cent came from OPEC countries.
Although the Gulf's share of US oil imports has shrunk considerably since 2003, the world's biggest energy consumer is almost as dependent on imported oil, and on OPEC oil, as it was six years ago. In 2003, 61 per cent of US oil supplies were imported, and 42 per cent of imports came from OPEC.
The biggest loser has been Saudi Arabia, whose exports to the US have fallen 43 per cent to 766,000 bpd recently from an average 1.8 million bpd in 2003. The OPEC kingpin is now America's fifth largest oil supplier, behind Canada, Mexico, Venezuela and Nigeria, having dropped from first place some years ago. Saudi oil now accounts for just over 4 per cent of US oil consumption, down from nearly 9 per cent in 2003.
Among the top five oil exporters to the US, Mexico and Venezuela are also supplying less oil to their biggest customer than six years ago, while Canada and Nigeria are supplying more.
In the next group, US imports from Algeria, Russia, Iraq and Brazil have all risen, while Angolan supplies are little changed.
The ebbing of Gulf oil exports to the US is not necessarily a direct reflection of that country's drive towards energy independence, although GCC governments have certainly paid heed to Washington's rhetoric. Increasingly, the region's oil exporters have been sending more of their crude to Asian markets while working hard to bolster political and trade ties with Asia Pacific consumers including China, Japan and South Korea. But that might have happened anyway.
Nonetheless, whether by design or happenstance, the US does appear to be disengaging from the Middle East on several fronts. For good or ill, that is bound to have far-reaching consequences for the region and the world.
