The Deal: A New Film About Politics and War for Oil

Written before the Iraq war by a former vice president of Goldman, Sachs & Co. in collaboration with the former head of the Goldman Sachs Oil and Gas department; The Deal is a wake-up call for America. Against the backdrop of a Middle East oil war against radical fundamentalists, The Deal tells the story of a proposed merger between an American and a Russian oil company, and the lengths and depths to which our country will find itself forced to descend in pursuit of the next “black crack fix” unless we dramatically change our ways.

Questions to ponder after seeing the film.

• How realistic do you think that [the film] was? Do you think oil companies and our government really behave like that? If they do, would we know about it? Would the public do anything about it?
• Do you believe that an investment banker in Tom's position would ultimately choose to blow the whistle, even at the expense of his own career? How severe a crisis do you think there is with the lack of corporate ethics today?
• Do you think it matters who is in office, or do you think that both political parties are pretty much in the same position, as it relates to their relationship to the oil producing nations and to the major oil companies?
• Senator Lucas in the film indicates that the government must continue to buy the oil, even though it means dealing with our enemies. How does this parallel our relationship with Saudi Arabia, post 9/11? Do you agree with the White House and its policies in regard to Saudi Arabia, given the apparent links to Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda?
• How important a goal should it be for the U.S. government to keep the price of oil at or below $3.00/gallon?
• Once it becomes clear that a deal such as the one in the film is illegal, who do you think bears primary responsibility for exposing it? The government? The oil company? The investment bankers? Who do you think has the most to lose, and why? Do you think the ends justify the means?
• Jared Tolson (the CEO of the oil company) says "if we don't buy that oil [from the Arab extremists], they'll just sell it to the French or the Chinese, who'll be happy to sell us a meager portion at even higher prices". Do you think that's really how it works?
• Who do you think is closer to telling the truth about our energy situation-the government or a film like this?
• Do you think that trying to drill for more oil, mine more coal, and re-start the nuclear power industry are the best way to solve the country's energy problems (like the Bush administration does)? Or should more money be spent on renewable resources and conservation?
• Do you believe that we are on the brink of an oil crisis? How should we balance environmental concerns with economic ones?
• How can we identify those energy companies who are serious about helping to promote cleaner alternative energy sources and reducing our overall dependence on hydrocarbons and specifically on foreign oil?
• Our energy policies reflect, on many levels, the fact that our country has always had an attitude that we would never run short of resources. Given the current situation, do you feel that is still a prudent attitude? If not, what would you do to go about changing it?
• What do you think about Abbey's alternative energy tax credit plan? Do you think Congress and the major oil companies would actually go out of their way to kill such a bill? Do you think such plans can actually work to stimulate the development of alternative sources of energy?