Iraq and the International Oil System: Why America Went to War in the Gulf

(Hardback)

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Challenges many assumptions about the causes of the Gulf War, and argues that it resulted from a crisis in the control of the world's oil supply. Ten years after the end of the Gulf War, the conflict continues with unresolved questions about economic sanctions and Iraq's participation in the oil export system. A specialist in Middle Eastern politics and an intelligence officer, Pelletiere covered the Iran-Iraq War as well as the subsequent Gulf conflict. He argues that Iraq's victory over Iran in 1988 gave the nation the capability of becoming a regional superpower with a strong say in how the Gulf's oil reserves were managed. Because the United States could not tolerate an ultranationalist state with the potential to destabilize the world's economy, war then became inevitable. This study examines the rise of the international oil system from the 1920s when the great cartel was formed. Comprised of seven companies, it was designed to ensure their continued control over the world's oil supplies. When the companies lost control with the OPEC revolution in 1973, the United States moved into the realm of Gulf politics with the goal of protecting the world economy. Pelletiere details how Saddam Hussein unwillingly precipitated the Gulf crisis and why the conflict is not likely to be resolved soon-or peacefully.

Reviews

"I have known Dr. Stephen Pelletiere for many years. I was the senior official in the Department of Defense responsible for the intelligence business of the Armed Forces of the United States in that region of the world. Dr. Pelletiere is by far the most gifted and accomplished analyst of Iraqi events and history whom I have ever met. His grasp of the underlying causes of the tortured events in the Northern Gulf which led to the Gulf War is superb."-Walter Lang, Defense Intelligence Officer for the Middle East, South Asia, and Terrorism (1984-94)
[a] fascinating and strange history of global oil politics. Stephen Pelletiere, a professor at the US Army War College, does a wonderful job of destroying the myths of the free market system, even though that is probably not his primary intention. The author presents a very casual view of some of the bloodiest and most evil deeds-deeds committed by some of the most powerful corporations and governments in the world....[c]omprehensively and engagingly written.-Futures
Iraq and the International Oil System is an interesting contribution to the growing literature on the origins of the Gulf War...-The Journal of Military History
The book adds significantly to the literature on both the international oil system and the Gulf War...There is much in the book to commend...Those willing to take it on will learn much.-The International History Review
"a fascinating and strange history of global oil politics. Stephen Pelletiere, a professor at the US Army War College, does a wonderful job of destroying the myths of the free market system, even though that is probably not his primary intention. The author presents a very casual view of some of the bloodiest and most evil deeds-deeds committed by some of the most powerful corporations and governments in the world....comprehensively and engagingly written."-Futures
"Iraq and the International Oil System is an interesting contribution to the growing literature on the origins of the Gulf War..."-The Journal of Military History
"The book adds significantly to the literature on both the international oil system and the Gulf War...There is much in the book to commend...Those willing to take it on will learn much."-The International History Review
"[a] fascinating and strange history of global oil politics. Stephen Pelletiere, a professor at the US Army War College, does a wonderful job of destroying the myths of the free market system, even though that is probably not his primary intention. The author presents a very casual view of some of the bloodiest and most evil deeds-deeds committed by some of the most powerful corporations and governments in the world....[c]omprehensively and engagingly written."-Futures

Author Bio

STEPHEN PELLETIERE is a Professor of National Security Affairs at the J.S. Army War College._He is a specialist in Middle East politics. As an intelligence officer from 1982, he has covered the Iran-Iraq War and subsequent Gulf conflict. Prior to that, he was a Professor of Political Science and a foreign correspondent in the Middle East. He has written several books on the Middle East, including The Iran-Iraq War--Chaos in a Vacuum (Praeger, 1992).