Oil Rivalries

This chapter investigates colonial and postcolonial great powers rivalries over the Persian Gulf oil resources. In the literature, three theoretical approaches have been utilized to explore the complex dynamics of oil rivalries between the great powers. While the resource curse theory approaches oil rivalries at micro/intrastate level, the security dilemma theory and the economic interdependence theory provide a macro interstates level of analyses. The resource curse theory helps to understand intrastate rivalries, but falls short to explain interstates rivalries. The security dilemma theory and the economic interdependence theory, on the other hand, don’t take into account the colonial or postcolonial oil order in which interstate competition occurs. Postcolonial theory argues that Anglo-American informal colonial and imperial oil orders in the Gulf region show similar patterns of rivalry aiming at domination and exploitation; link control of the Gulf oil to their national security priorities; use soft and hard powers to protect and maintain their established oil order; but differs in terms of order and means of exploitation. In this chapter, a multiple case research method is used to trace the colonial legacies of oil rivalry in the postcolonial era.