What Every American Should Know about the Mid East and Oil


Book Description

This guide to the mysterious history and politics of the Middle East will help Americans decipher the latest diplomatic delusions of their President, Congress and the U.S. State Department, untangle the rationale for Palestinian terrorists bombs in the West Bank and Israeli jets strafing civilians in Lebanon, and explains why your sons and daughters may have to return to the region so you can have enough oil. The Western colonial powers created the boundaries in the Middle East, without regard to the religion, culture or ethnic background of the people, for selfish reasons after World War Ipower and oil. America has failed to wield its influence in the region because of its political leaders myopic support of Israel and failure to understand and/or refusal to admit to the complex regional issues. As a result, America is now part of the problem rather than offering an equitable solution and is in danger of losing its superpower leverage. Saddam Hussein scoffs at Americas impotent threats, Iran sneers at the Great Satans sanctions and Saudi Arabia has no faith in our promises. A recent Israeli newspaper reported that Binyamin Netanyahu owns the U.S. Congress. Will tiny Palestine and oil be Americas downfall? Machiavellian perceptive, irreverently witty and an enjoyable read, this book provides invaluable insights into the volatile Mid East and world oil for the serious student as well as the host or hostess at their next cocktail party.




What Every American Should Know About the Middle East


Book Description

The What Every American Should Know series returns with a timely guide to the region Americans need to understand the most (and know the least) The latest edition of Melissa Rossi's popular What Every American Should Know series gives a crash course on one of the most complex and important regions of the world. In this comprehensive and engaging reference book, Rossi offers a clear analysis of the issues playing out in the Middle East, delving into each country's history, politics, economy, and religions. Having traveled through the area over the past year, she exposes firsthand the U.S.'s geopolitical moves and how our presence has affected the region's economic and political development. Topics include: · Why Iran is viewed as a threat by most Middle East countries · What resource is more important than petroleum in regional power plays · What's really behind the fighting between Sunni and Shia · How Saudi Arabia inadvertently feeds the violence in Iraq and beyond · How monarchies like those in Jordan and Qatar are more open and progressive than the so-called republics With answers that will surprise many Americans, and covering a vast history and cultural complexity that will fascinate any student of the world, What Every American Should Know About the Middle East is a must-read introduction to the most critical region of the twenty-first century.




The Mid East and Oil


Book Description




What Every American Should Know About the Rest of the World


Book Description

Confused about the news? Slip out of the room when friends talk current events? Now you can keep up with ease and learn to talk like a diplomat. Among the things you’ll soon be able to slip into everyday conversation: What is the difference between Kurdistan and Kazakhstan? Why did North Korea’s leader kidnap his favorite actress? Why is Osama bin Laden so mad? Which countries still have slaves? Why is Kashmir “the most dangerous place in the world?” What country has the most Muslims? Why are they fighting in Chechnya? What little box prompted Hutus to kill Tutsis? Who is Prince Turki and how did his hunting trip change history? How are cows fueling the fighting between India's Muslims and Hindus? Which country drew maps that have resulted in the most intractable wars? What is controversial UN Resolution 242? What makes Qatar stand out? What country does Sumatran coffee come from? What country’s fakes forced the US to redesign the $100 bill? Who is the FARC and why have they been fighting for decades? An entertaining guide to political science, current events, foreign affairs, and history, What Every American Should Know about the Rest of the World gives you the vocabulary and background you need to decipher the modern world in a simple-to-understand format.




What Every American Should Know About Who's Really Running America


Book Description

A guide to the politicos, money men, lobbyists, and deal makers who really run America What foreign country has the power to send America crashing into a recession? Why is the USA still dangerously dependent on oil, when viable energy alternatives have existed for decades? Who made the call that we should return to nuclear energy—and then took a high-paying position with a nuclear company? Which youth group was a spawning ground for many contemporary power mongers? What lobbyists and special-interest groups are running the show on Capitol Hill—and exactly what tools of persuasion are they using? Melissa Rossi answers these questions and more in this timely and topical guide to who’s pulling the strings behind the scenes of American politics. This latest edition of Rossi’s popular What Every American Should Know. . . series puts the spotlight on our own backyard, covering topics like: • Which groups ensure that Americans pay more for drugs than any other nation • How our immigration laws are damaging the U.S. economy • Who’s telling the school boards what your child will learn • Who really benefits from U.S. foreign policy • How corporations and government agencies are spying on us • Why we should avoid electronic voting • Who killed the electric car and who exposed it Organized by topic for easy reference, What Every American Should Know About Who’s Really Running America shows Americans what is going on behind the scenes and how they can counterbalance the influence of a small, powerful elite to put the power back where it should be—in the hands of the people.




Vision or Mirage


Book Description

'Clear-eyed and illuminating.' Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of State and National Security Advisor 'A rich, superbly researched, balanced history of the modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.' General David Petraeus, former Commander U.S. Central Command and Director of the Central Intelligence Agency 'Destined to be the best single volume on the Kingdom.' Ambassador Chas Freeman, former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Assistant Secretary of Defense 'Should be prescribed reading for a new generation of political leaders.' Sir Richard Dearlove, former Chief of H.M. Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) and Master of Pembroke College, Cambridge. Something extraordinary is happening in Saudi Arabia. A traditional, tribal society once known for its lack of tolerance is rapidly implementing significant economic and social reforms. An army of foreign consultants is rewriting the social contract, King Salman has cracked down hard on corruption, and his dynamic though inexperienced son, the Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, is promoting a more tolerant Islam. But is all this a new vision for Saudi Arabia or merely a mirage likely to dissolve into Iranian-style revolution? David Rundell - one of America's foremost experts on Saudi Arabia - explains how the country has been stable for so long, why it is less so today, and what is most likely to happen in the future. The book is based on the author's close contacts and intimate knowledge of the country where he spent 15 years living and working as a diplomat. Vision or Mirage demystifies one of the most powerful, but least understood, states in the Middle East and is essential reading for anyone interested in the power dynamics and politics of the Arab World.




America's War for the Greater Middle East


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A critical assessment of America's foreign policy in the Middle East throughout the past four decades evaluates and connects regional engagements since 1990 while revealing their massive costs.




Arabian Oil


Book Description

This is the story of American petroleum interests in the Middle East since the 1930s and their relation to our national foreign oil policy. It provides a clear account of the tangled events leading up to the present dominant position of American enterprise in Middle East oil discovery and production. It also presents a significant case study of a foreign investment and its relation to U.S. foreign economic policy. Originally published in 1949. A UNC Press Enduring Edition -- UNC Press Enduring Editions use the latest in digital technology to make available again books from our distinguished backlist that were previously out of print. These editions are published unaltered from the original, and are presented in affordable paperback formats, bringing readers both historical and cultural value.




Blood and Oil


Book Description

From the author of Resource Wars, a landmark assessment of the critical role of petroleum in America's actions abroad In his pathbreaking Resource Wars, world security expert Michael T. Klare alerted us to the role of resources in conflicts in the post-Cold War world. Now, in Blood and Oil, he concentrates on a single precious commodity, petroleum, while issuing a warning to the United States-its most powerful, and most dependent, global consumer. Since September 11th and the commencement of the "war on terror," the world's attention has been focused on the relationship between U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and the oceans of crude oil that lie beneath the region's soil. Klare traces oil's impact on international affairs since World War II, revealing its influence on the Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon, and Carter doctrines. He shows how America's own wells are drying up as our demand increases; by 2010, the United States will need to import 60 percent of its oil. And since most of this supply will have to come from chronically unstable, often violently anti-American zones-the Persian Gulf, the Caspian Sea, Latin America, and Africa-our dependency is bound to lead to recurrent military involvement. With clarity and urgency, Blood and Oil delineates the United States' predicament and cautions that it is time to change our energy policies, before we spend the next decades paying for oil with blood.




The Oil Kings


Book Description

Relying on a rich cache of previously classified notes, transcripts, cables, policy briefs, and memoranda, Andrew Cooper explains how oil drove, even corrupted, American foreign policy during a time when Cold War imperatives still applied, and tells why in the 1970s the U.S. switched its Middle East allegiance from the Shah of Iran to the Saudi royal family. Amid the oil shocks of the early 1970s, there was one man the U.S. could rely on: the Shah of Iran. The Shah sold us oil; we sold him weapons. But the U.S. and other industrialized economies could not tolerate repeated annual double digit increases in oil prices. During the 1976 election campaign, President Gerald Ford decided that he had to find a country that would break the OPEC monopoly and sell the U.S. oil more cheaply. On the advice of Treasury Secretary William Simon -- and against the advice of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger -- Ford made a deal to sell advanced weaponry to the Saudis in exchange for a more moderate price hike in oil. The Shah's economy was destabilized, and disaffected elements mobilized to overthrow him. The U.S. had embarked on a long relationship with the autocratic Saudi kingdom that continues to this day.