Why read The Oil Wars Myth?

Book cover of The Oil Wars Myth: Petroleum and the Causes of International Conflict

Book description

Do countries fight wars for oil? Given the resource's exceptional military and economic importance, most people assume that states will do anything to obtain it. Challenging this conventional wisdom, The Oil Wars Myth reveals that countries do not launch major conflicts to acquire petroleum resources. Emily Meierding argues that the…

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Why read it?

1 author picked The Oil Wars Myth as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Robert Vitalis

Author

I am recommending Emily Meireding’s book for two reasons. First, there may be readers who are put off by what one reviewer calls my own “engaged,” “conversational,” and “off-the-cuff” style, and who are more likely to trust in a more conventional, scholarly text. Oil Wars Myth, by a professor who teaches at the Naval Postgraduate School, no less, confirms much of what I argue in my book. The second reason is because Professor Meireding’s findings surprised her, given our commonsense beliefs about countries routinely going to war over the stuff.

From Robert's list on crazy things we believe on oil and world politics.