Petro-Aggression: When Oil Causes War (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781107654976)

Oil is the world's single most important commodity and its political effects are pervasive. Jeff Colgan extends the idea of the resource curse into the realm of international relations, exploring how countries form their foreign policy preferences and intentions. Why are some but not all oil-exporting 'petrostates' aggressive? To answer this question, a theory of aggressive foreign policy preferences is developed and then tested, using both quantitative and qualitative methods. Petro-Aggression shows that oil creates incentives that increase a petrostate's aggression, but also incentives for the opposite. The net effect depends critically on its domestic politics, especially the preferences of its leader. Revolutionary leaders are especially significant. Using case studies including Iraq, Iran, Libya, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela, this book offers new insight into why oil politics has a central role in global peace and conflict.

Author: Jeff D. Colgan
ISBN-10: 1107654971
ISBN-13: 9781107654976
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 01/31/2013
Pages: 324
Format: Paperback
Weight: 1.15lbs
Size: 9.00h x 5.90w x 0.90d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 02/01/2014