ABSTRACT
A large proportion of US materials imports are neither unavoidable nor indispensable; rather, these materials are imported by choice because it is cheaper or more convenient to do so. Clearly US materials imports must be considered in perspective. US materials import dependency, with its problem of maintaining uninterrupted access to foreign sources of strategic and critical materials, will undoubtedly continue to pose a real challenge to Western policymakers. Dependency implies existence by virtue of necessity, and necessity implies unavoidability or indispensability. Materials import dependency began to take on more serious consequences following World War II, as the nation began to shift from a manufacturing to a predominantly services economy. The vulnerability or threat may be largely economic: excessive imports ultimately may be seen as adversely affecting the economic growth rate of the Western nations, thereby restricting employment potentials, endangering societal stability, and ultimately reducing the material standard of living.
