Oil Politics

This chapter analyzes Anglo-American oil policies toward the Gulf States from postcolonial IR theoretical perspective. Classical balance of power and grand strategy theories have analyzed the oil policies of the great powers in a framework that rationalizes their policies, justifies their arguments and legitimizes their objectives. Iran, for instance, had no voice between the grand strategies of Tsarist Russia and the British Empire, but was divided into two spheres of influence in these narratives. Classical theories have primarily explored the conflicting economic interests, security concerns, and geopolitical objectives of the great powers. In a similar vein, conventional theories of IR have studied oil politics by focusing on the diplomatic, economic, and military power capacities and capabilities of states acting in an anarchic order. In particular, neorealist and liberal institutional theories have deliberately avoided examining oil colonization or oil imperialism. This chapter of the book is therefore devoted to analyzing oil politics from the perspective of postcolonial IR theory, which seeks out the voices, knowledge, experiences, and politics of the marginalized oil-producing countries in the Gulf region.