Opponents of our intervention in the Persian Gulf were shouting, "We won't die for oil!" How important is oil? "Our whole society is really shaped by oil," Mr. Yergin explains. "It determines where we live, how we live, how we commute, how we travel, how we conduct our courtships." WFB: "Oughtn't we to say to Saudi Arabia: We've been in there and we've helped you during these very, very tough days. Now please sign a 50-year accord to sell oil at a price that makes it impossible to revive OPEC. Would that be sound statesmanship in your lights?" DY: "Well, it's certainly a very intriguing idea if you can get it to work in this era of nation-states. Where it maybe really happens is not in a de jure but a de facto fashion ... But the one problem you always come down to is, What is the just price? ... It all depends on whether you're a buyer or a seller."