Three panelists debated the politics of oil and the complexity of the energy situation last night in the Kennedy School Forum before 80 people.

Calling the energy shortage "an issue of power," Robert Engler, author of several books on the oil industry, said the major oil companies control the information and the organizations designed to regulate the industry.

"You are dealing with the greatest single concentration of power over human lives," he said, adding, "We accept the notion that this is a commodity that is to be used for profit. I suggest that you reassess this assumption."

Henry Lee, research director of the Energy and Environment Policy Center at the Kennedy School said that the energy situation is a complex problem that can not be totally blamed on major oil firms.

Citing the highway system and building standards, Engler said institutions that do not promote energy conservation are responsible for the nation's energy problems. "The vulnerability issue i not going to go away. The Middle East is not going to stabilize tomorrow," he said, adding that America must adjust its foreign policy to the realities of the issue.