Since September 11th 2001 and the commencement of the war on terror', the world's attention has been focused on the relationship between US foreign policy in the Middle East and the oceans of crude oil that lie beneath the region's soil. Michael Klare traces oil's impact on international affairs since World War II, revealing its influence on the Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon and Carter governments. He shows how America's own wells are drying up as demand increases and warns that by 2010 the US will need to import 60 per cent of its oil. And since most of this supply will have to come from chronically unstable, often violently anti-American zones the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea, Latin America and Africa their dependency is bound to lead to recurrent military involvement.

About the Author

Michael Klare is the author of Rogue States and Nuclear Outlaws, Low Intensity Warfare and Resource Wars. He is the Five College Professor of Program Peace and World Security Studies at Hampshire College in Amherst, and lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.

Reviews

"A thoughtful and well-researched history of oil and geopolitics . . . Mr. Klare provides a service when he puts America's close ties with Saudi Arabia in a historical context."—"The Economist
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"A steady poli-sci elaboration of U.S. foreign policy of the past 60 years as viewed through the lens of oil . . . ["Blood and Oil"] is elaborately sourced [and] dismayingly convincing."—Lisa Margonelli, "San Francisco Chronicle"
"Michael Klare's "Blood and Oil" is the best book among the recent outpouring of studies on oil and world affairs. I am using it in three classes this semester. Indeed, it is a model of how to research and write contemporary history. Carefully researched, convincingly argued, and clearly written, it shows how oil's role in American society and politics influences U.S. relations with the rest of the world. "Blood and Oil" is essential reading for anyone concerned about the sources and dynamics of U.S. foreign policy."—David Painter, Walsh Sch