Wars for Oil, Wars by Oil: Understanding Petro-Autocracy and the ‘New’ Imperialism

Abstract

In the run-up to the American invasion of Afghanistan, much was made of a previously obscure infrastructure proposal: a gas pipeline to connect the Caspian Sea with Pakistan and the open ocean beyond. This led to breathless articles claiming, “it’s about oil” and statements about a new American War for Oil from the Green Party USA and others. This theory never bore out, despite two full decades of American occupation – most likely because the actual export routes from Azerbaijan were shorter, more direct to European markets and did not have to pass over the forbidding landscapes of Afghanistan and eastern Turkmenistan. Even though this information was clearly available in 2001, it seemed that some among the American Left had difficulty envisioning an imperial war without a petroleum motivation.