Meghan L. O'Sullivan, Columnist

U.S. Is Forced to See It Is Far From ‘Energy Independent’

The crisis after the disappearance of Khashoggi shows that the Trump administration knows it still needs Saudi oil. Becoming a net exporter of energy won't change that.

October 19, 2018 at 2:09 PM UTC

By Meghan L. O'Sullivan

Meghan L. O’Sullivan is a professor of international affairs at Harvard’s Kennedy School and the North American chair of the Trilateral Commission, she served on the National Security Council from 2004 to 2007.

The U.S. still imports oil. A lot of it.
Photographer: Eddie Seal/Bloomberg

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The disappearance and likely death of Jamal Khashoggi is a clarifying moment.

If the crown prince of Saudi Arabia proves to be complicit, this moment will reveal much about the nature of the Saudi leadership. It also tells us something about U.S.-Saudi relations and how vulnerable a partnership not based on shared values can be.