The Libyan Rebellion: The West's Cloak over the Gulf  http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/chandan180311.html

The Gulf countries are the most reactionary, medieval states in the region, established by British colonialism and maintained by British and US patronage. The Gulf States have the benefit -- or tragedy, depending on which way one looks at the issue -- of possessing vast amounts of oil reserves which is fundamental to the running of the Western military machine. The US and Britain know that they may lose the energy resources of the Gulf due to the political changes rocking the region, and are in desperate need to secure an alternative source of oil and gas. That's where Libya comes in, and nearly every time pro-Western analysts speak of Libya, they seem to also salivate at the prospect of the vast gas reserves in Algeria. The West wants Libya to ensure its energy supplies in case the Gulf is lost, and if it managed to have full control of Libyan oil, then this would be a boost for the West and might give it another half century of life when all indicators are that the West will totally lose its world position within a few decades.