I would not consider it a red herring. There are very few places in the world that can sustain large scale agricultural out put. For clarification I speak of

I would not consider it a red herring. There are very few places in the world that can sustain large scale agricultural out put. For clarification I speak of the Nile Delta, Ukraine, Mekong Delta, and the Midwest of the United States. This is nothing new, this has been true since the dawn of human history. With the exception of the Midwest of the Unite States those areas have also been fought over continuously since the dawn of human history. Your comment seems to indicated that it is less develop countries that are to be feared in times of conflict. This is not the case, with very few exceptions it has been the more developed countries that seek to exploit those regions. As a policy I am for the United States keeping it agricultural engine online and working as I don't wish my countries food supply to be dependent on, nor easily manipulated or controlled, by others.