Politics of Oil: A Survey

This title presents key information on the oil industry world-wide, and will be of interest to anyone involved in or studying the politics of oil production, processing and selling. Oil has long been at the forefront of political agendas, and with increased tensions in the Middle East, there has never been a greater need for up-to-date, reliable information on this key industry.

Four sections present a through overview of current issues in the politics of oil in historical perspectives. The first section consists of essays written by a variety of academic and other experts on topics including oil and the global political economy, supermajor oil companies and geopolitics, oil and Iraq and environmental conflict in Nigeria. The second section is an A-Z glossary for reference of theories, issues, organizations, countries, conflicts and disputes, including entries on Azerbaijan, Baku-Ceyhan Pipeline, Carter Doctrine, Exxon Valdez Oil Spill, Greenpeace, Peak Oil etc. The third section includes detailed maps, both regional and worldwide, showing oil pipelines, oil reserves, production, consumption and trade flows, as well as statistics on petroleum reserves, production, consumption, trade movements and imports and exports. The final section is a select bibliography.

Bülent Gökay is Professor of International Relations and Head of the School of Politics, International Relations and the Environment (SPIRE) at Keele University, UK. He is the author (and co-author) of many books on global politics and oil, including The Politics of Caspian Oil (2001), 11 September 2001: War, Terror and Judgement (2003) and The New American Imperialism: Bush’s War on Terror and Blood for Oil (2005, with Vassilis K. Fouskas).