Oilcraft - by Robert Vitalis (Hardcover)
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<p/><br></br><p><b> About the Book </b></p></br></br>"With this book, Bob Vitalis tackles the geopolitical "truths" about oil: that US presence in the Gulf and our relationship with Saudi Arabia is necessary to stabilize an otherwise volatile market; that US oil independence is necessary to prevent foreign powers from controlling and limiting global supply; that only displays of force and threat of military action keep price inflation in check. As these axioms are repeated across policy and scholarly debates, sheer repetition is taken as evidence of fact. Vitalis explicates what work these false beliefs about oil and geopolitics do today in US policy and scholarship. We can either continue to remain fixed on the state's wholly unnecessary defense of access, or we can extricate ourselves from it and concentrate instead on oilcraft's all too real effects"--<p/><br></br><p><b> Book Synopsis </b></p></br></br><p><b>A bracing corrective to the myths that have shaped economic, military, and diplomatic policy, dispelling our oil-soaked fantasies of dependence.</b></p> <p>There is a conventional wisdom about oil--that the U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf is what guarantees access to this strategic resource; that the special relationship with Saudi Arabia is necessary to stabilize an otherwise volatile market; and that these assumptions in turn provide Washington enormous leverage over Europe and Asia. Except, the conventional wisdom is wrong. </p> <p>Robert Vitalis debunks the myths to reveal oilcraft, a line of magical thinking closer to witchcraft than statecraft. Oil is a commodity like any other: bought, sold, and subject to market forces. Thus, the first goal of this book is to expose the suspect fears of oil scarcity and conflict. The second goal is to investigate the significant geopolitical impact of these false beliefs.</p> <p>In particular, Vitalis shows how we can reconsider the question of the U.S.-Saudi special relationship, which confuses and traps many into unnecessarily accepting what they imagine is a devil's bargain. The House of Saud does many things for U.S. investors, firms, and government agencies, but guaranteeing the flow of oil, making it cheap, or stabilizing the price isn't one of them. Freeing ourselves from the spell of oilcraft won't be easy--but the benefits make it essential.</p><p/><br></br><p><b> Review Quotes </b></p></br></br><br>Vitalis makes a strong case against delusional thinking, whether in domestic affairs (especially regarding fossil fuel dependence) or across geopolitical boundaries. Recommended.--G. A. McBeath "<i>CHOICE</i>"<br><br><i>Oilcraft</i> dismantles, demolishes, and incinerates the bogus claims and specious myths that for decades now have perverted U.S. policy in the Middle East. In this briskly written and thoroughly documented study, Robert Vitalis demonstrates that America's 'endless wars' have their origins in an apparently inexhaustible capacity for self-deception.--Andrew Bacevich "author of <i>The Age of Illusion: How America Squandered Its Cold War Victory</i>"<br><br><i>Oilcraft</i> eviscerates all the fundamental myths about the so-called special relationship between the House of Saud and the U.S. foreign policy establishment. Robert Vitalis thinks way outside the conventional wisdom--and the implications are startling: we don't need a devil's bargain with Saudi princes, least of all with a mad crown prince.--Kai Bird "author of <i>The Good Spy</i> and <i>American Prometheus</i>"<br><br>If one accepts Mr. Vitalis's scarcity/security thesis, there's much to explore regarding American shale and geopolitics.--Mark P. Mills "<i>Wall Street Journal</i>"<br><br>Robert Vitalis has once again revealed that our conventional wisdom is filled with empty, and often dangerous, self-delusions. Taking on the virtually unanimous conviction that a longstanding 'oil-for-security deal' underpins U.S. relations with Saudi Arabia, he shows it to be inaccurate, illogical, deceptive, and ultimately self-defeating. Vintage Vitalis, this book is a triumph of clear-eyed and courageous criticism.--Lisa Anderson "Columbia University, author of <i>Pursuing Truth, Exercising Power: Social Science and Public Policy in the Twenty-First Century</i>"<br><br>Robert Vitalis's <i>Oilcraft</i> couldn't be more timely. For decades, the idea that the United States objectively <i>needs</i> oil has been taken as gospel, justifying U.S. power in the world while clouding critiques of that power. This book is indispensable to understanding the current moment, showing that moving beyond fossil fuels is more akin to quitting a sect than breaking an addiction.--Greg Grandin "author of <i>The End of the Myth: From the Frontier to the Border Wall in the Mind of America</i>"<br><p/><br></br><p><b> About the Author </b></p></br></br><b>Robert Vitalis</b> is Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania. His books include <i>America's Kingdom: Mythmaking on the Saudi Oil Frontier</i> (Stanford, 2007), named one of the best books of the year by the London <i>Guardian</i> and an essential read by <i>Foreign Affairs</i>, as well as <i>White World Order, Black Power Politics: The Birth of American International Relations</i> (2015) and <i>When Capitalists Collide: Business Conflict and the End of Empire in Egypt</i> (1995).
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