In the midst of the 1973 Arab oil embargo, President Richard Nixon launched “Project Independence” to make the U.S. energy self-sufficient by 1980. Every president since has also promised to make the U.S. energy independent. Around the world, too, a desire for energy security motivates calls to reduce imports from sources perceived as unreliable or unstable, and to become more disconnected from the global market. Fortunately, these isolation efforts have failed. Over the last 40 years, the global energy system has become vastly more interconnected and interdependent, which has increased, not decreased, our energy security.