The curse of oil! Search for a formula for global ethics

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss one of the most critical issues of our time, impediments to global ethics, and seeks to explore the question more intensely for a better outcome.Design/methodology/approachThe Robert J. Rutland Center for Ethics at Clemson University was the venue for an annual four‐day event to reflect and discuss ethics, ethical principles, and the framework for ethical decision making. The theme for 2004's seminar was Ethics in Politics – the 5th Annual Ethics across the Curriculum. Four philosophy professors each presented ethics from a slightly different angle with specific cases provided to better illustrate the points raised. In addition, several cases were assigned to groups while each of the four professors acted as discussion leaders.FindingsThe paper begins with the information provided by the seminar instructors. It is followed by the creeping case – a case that is followed by a series of variations that change it in important ways. Additional suggestions are provided for analysis of the case. Some concluding remarks are provided at the end together with relevant passages from the 9/11 Commission Report.Originality/valueThis paper is the writer's contribution to the seminar in the form of a creeping case on the ethics of oil, weapons, and the Middle East.