Who Won the Oil Wars?: How Governments Waged the War for Oil Rights (Conspiracy Books) (Paperback)

The Oil Depletion Protocol: A Plan to Avert Oil Wars, Terrorism and Economic Collapse by Richard Heinberg 5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £10.99

Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies by Richard Heinberg 4.3 out of 5 stars (22)  £9.09

› Explore similar items

Product Description
The truth about the 100-year fight for the world's precious oil supplies Explores all the conspiracy theories from Biafra to the War on Terror Fourth title in an exciting new series of Conspiracy Books Authors are leading experts in environment and energy conspiracies Since oil displaced coal as the fuel of choice a century ago, it has been the cause of some of the world's bloodiest conflicts. This book examines the role oil has played in these conflicts in the last hundred years. It looks at the actions governments and multinational companies have taken to secure their oil supplies since the 1920s, often provoking accusations that they promote conflict and support corrupt or violent regimes. Oil was an important factor in both world wars. Conspiracy theorists believe it also sparked the Suez Crisis, the Iran-Iraq War, the Biafra war and conflicts in Angola and Chad in which oil companies such as Elf (Angola) and various companies including ExxonMobil (Chad) are said to have played a murky role. The book starts with a look at Empire building and how at the start of the 20th century Britain, France and Germany sought to carve up the world's supplies of 'black gold'. The clamour for oil intensified during World War II - in fact the bombing of Pearl Harbour was allegedly at least in part to prevent Indonesian oil from reaching the US. Successive chapters chart the rise of OPEC and the Suez Crisis in 1956, and the Cold War 'Proxy Wars', when the importance of Middle East drew the US and Soviet Union (then perceived as the world's superpowers) into conflicts between states in the region. The book also assesses the power of major oil companies - not only the huge environmental devastation they have caused but the local conflicts that have arisen. For instance, scandals involving the French oil company Elf indicate that it had funded both sides in the civil wars in Angola and the Congo. In conclusion the book looks at other sources of oil, chiefly in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa. What effect will large-scale oil extraction have on these regions?

About the Author
Louise Gale is an experienced writer editor and EU lawyer, with extensive knowledge and contacts in the international environmental field. She has written for, among others, 'The Economist', Greenpeace and GeneWatch. Andy Stern is a freelance writer with more than twenty years' experience of writing books and articles for newspapers, magazines and specialist publications on topics as diverse as international politics and business, environment, energy, media, IT and telecoms and film. The authors live in London, NW3.

Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover

Search inside this book:

1 Review 5 star:  (1) 4 star:    (0) 3 star:    (0) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 5.0 out of 5 stars (1 customer review)		Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Most Helpful Customer Reviews   3 of 3 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling account of the role of oil in war, 7 Nov 2005 By  Dr Sue Mayer, Director GeneWatch UK, ex- Head... (Derbyshire United Kingdom) - See all my reviews In his incisive and brilliant review of the role oil has played in war, Andy Stern takes us from the first commercial oil wells in the 1850s to the role of oil in the Iraq war and other contemporary conflicts. He sets out very starkly how far both oil companies and governments are prepared to go to secure and protect their oil supplies. As he looks forward, we see how increasing demand from China, India and South America coupled with tensions in the Middle East, mean conflict is likely to continue. Reading Stern's book drove home to me how important it is that we move away from our dependence on oil and look to new ways to generate engery and use it more efficiently. Not only to prevent the worst excesses of climate change, but to stop the contining bloody wars. Read it! Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this) Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review › See all customer reviews...		Ad feedback   Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

Understand and Survive Peak Oil: A list by "murpette" Create a Listmania! list

Search Listmania!

• Books > Business, Finance & Law
• Books > Reference > Fun Facts & Trivia > Curiosities, Imponderables & Wonders
• Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Petroleum, Mining & Geological > Petroleum
• Books > Society, Politics & Philosophy > Government & Politics > International Relations

• Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
• I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
• I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.