This was a thoughtful essay Jerome A Paris - with a lot of clear-thinking – AND it leads me STRAIGTH AHEAD ONE MORE TIME TO THINKING of the ideas of the CARTER-Doctrine … and its implications.
( you never took the reasoning - all the way ... sort of - BUT what you came with made me a much more enligthened person - thx))

The Carter Doctrine was a policy proclaimed by Jimmy Carter in 1980 – as some sort of ‘blurred’ responses to USSR into Afghanistan and also as a hint for the oil producing countries spawning the oil embargo in the 70’s ….
…. roughly stating that
-
"The US will go to war overseas - if "our" energy supply ever is threatened" –

And then we have Dick Cheney – “American way of life is not negotiable…. “
(Wwwooow – though guys)

….I personally wonder what I would have felt if my government ever came out with something like this...... not well, I guess ..
(I live outside EU, but part of Schengen …. and EFTA though)

DOES EU have something like this doctrine?

Question:
Is it ever possible to morally defend such thing as this doctrine?

IF so how?? What would the arguments be?

MY STANCE and THINKING GOES LIKE THIS -

A country is defined as a sovereign area on the surface of this planet - some borderlines are disputed though. And these countries are run by "some sort of rulers" - democratically voted for or grabbed by some kind of dictators.
And normally it is assessed that the people within this boundary are 'responsible' for whatever is happening here and the way forward / changes and so forth - ref American Civil war, French revolution, composition of India, Pakistan and later Bangladesh ......bla

Whatever is taking place within these countries are normally considered "internal affairs or domestic issues"... not for anyone outside to "dig their noses into”. Although this has changed some after the congregation of UN.

I see the 1st Gulf War as an action taken - in the name of The Carter Doctrine , and for anyone knowing the history of this region you know the lines on the map where drawn by the winners of WW1. And Saddam is definitely correct in assuming that Kuwait is "a virtual place" due to the Burgan-oilfield......

As petroleum is assessed THE COMMODITY of this planet - and 'everybody' depend on this for prosperity and growth AND we all know it is "gone by the wind in few decades" ..

NOW - to my SECOND point...
-and assuming the CARTER-Doctrine is still around

IF within a few years there comes to INTERNAL UPRISING WITHIN KSA (say civil war) - and the daily Saudi-oil-export was cut off - due to these events...

And by looking closely at the reasons for this uprising - most people (even in the US) would say ' my heart is with the insurgents' - their cause is legitimate.... that Saudi-kingdom has to GO!

EVENTUALLY - would it still be OK to act by the Carter-doctrine, BECAUSE your American way of life is challenged ?

WHAT is stronger - "AM way of life" OR "your inner morality”??