Oil is known to be one of the most valuable goods in the world. Oil is used daily around the world as fuel for transportation, electricity, burned for fossil fuel energy, and more. While many governments of the world are trying to rely less on oil for energy and looking at using renewable energy to help curb climate change, much of the world still relies on fossil fuels from oil specifically, as well as for oil’s other uses. According to “What Countries Are the Top Producers and Consumers of oil?”, the countries with the largest oil consumption as of 2017, includes the US consuming 19.96 million barrels a day, China consuming 13.57 million barrels per day, with both Germany and Canada consuming 2.45 million barrels of oil per day. Oil is key to the survival of most of the world and its economies and is a big trading asset. Consequently, many conflicts have been inspired due to the trading of oil, between the worlds’ biggest producers and consumers of oil – the Middle East, and the West (specifically the United States). Over the past 100 years Middle Eastern and Western countries have engaged politically and economically, continuing to use oil as a weapon against each other regardless of the reason, causing lasting economic effects and inspiring propaganda and animosity among both regions through the media. 

For the past 70 years and prior, when the Middle East began to trade their oil with the West, the transactions between the two groups have led to conflict with oil being the main weapon. This weapon is almost always used in retaliation for a wrong, or to remind the losing country who is in control, being those who have the oil. One of the earliest incidents when oil was used as a weapon by either the Middle East or the West, was the 1967 Arab oil embargo. Five countries - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Iraq, Algeria, and Libya - banned all shipments of oil to the United States, the United Kingdom, and West Germany. This was done in retaliation for the three Western countries’ support of Israel in the fourth Arab – Israeli war (the six-day war) in June of 1967. The Arab States and Israel are in constant conflict and animosity, due to the Israelis desire for the land which the Arabs believe to be the territory of Palestine – another Arab State. This conflict and animosity have been raging in fluctuation since the establishment of Israel. The Arab States do not support Israel and are always in in support of each other against Israel. Moreover, it is evident that the Arab states would be angered by the West’s support of Israel in a war between Israel and the States of Syria, Egypt and Jordan.  Many of the five Arab States involved in the embargo issued a communiqué after their conference in Baghdad, Iraq on the 9th to the 12th of June 1967. This communiqué decreed the Arab States’ unanimous reasoning for the embargo. See Appendix 1. An event in the six-day war was clearly referenced at the end of the first statement, through the mention of the “Gulf of Aqaba”. This Gulf is a territory of Egypt which was seized by Israeli forces with aid from Western forces. Throughout the statements, the Arab States mentioned “any country indirectly or directly committing aggression against any Arab State” will be denied Arab oil. With the mention of the Gulf of Aqaba, and the clear mention of ‘aggressive actions’ which the West had taken in the war, the Arab decree is plainly referencing the actions of the three western countries supporting Israel. The Arab States therefore use the oil embargo as a weapon to express their distaste and offense taken from the actions of the United States, the United Kingdom, and Western Germany, in the six-day war. (Samantha Gross) 

No matter how much time elapses oil will still be used as a weapon, specifically used in retaliation to an offense from any country. This has constantly been exhibited with the actions of the Middle East, towards the West. Oil was again used as a weapon against the West in the OPEC Arab oil embargo against the United States and the Netherlands. The embargo was imposed on October 16th, 1973, during the Yom – Kippur war; the fifth Arab – Israeli war (this war was fought between Israel, Syria and Egypt). The two Arab countries involved in the war were of course backed by the Arab States, but Israel was backed by the United States. The United States’ support of Israel angered the Arab States, just as it had angered them five years earlier in the war of 1967. In retaliation for their support of Israel, the Arab OPEC countries at the time (Bahrain, the UAE, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Libya, and Algeria) met at a conference in Kuwait on the 24th-25th of October 1973, and decided to ban petroleum and oil exports to the United States and the Netherlands, and introduced oil production cuts. The embargo caused extreme economic distress in the United States and ended up being a strong contributor to the start of the US oil crisis from 1973 – 1975. Why else would an embargo be introduced, if not to send a political message? The United Sates offended the Arab States again, and the Arab countries did not want to be seen as pushovers, when these States constantly trade oil with the United States, and supplies the U.S with almost 90% of their oil (at that time). The embargo of 1973 used oil as a weapon to show the U.S, that power can rely elsewhere in the world; and the Arab States used their oil to pinpoint and penetrate the United States’ economic vulnerability – the U.S’ codependence on foreign oil. (Kimberly Amadeo) 

Regardless of the situation, oil was used to penetrate a sole vulnerability in the American economic system with the 1973 oil embargo, consequently causing an economic crisis in the United States and inspiring a new Western view of the Middle East. According to Kimberly Amadeo the OPEC oil embargo directly aggravated inflation in the U.S economy by raising the oil prices, which were already inflated by 10 percent (due to President Nixon taking the dollar off the gold standard). This became a very delicate time for the US economy.  Domestic oil producers worked hard but could not produce enough oil to make up for the deficiency caused by the oil embargo. The embargo also worsened the U.S recession.  Higher gas prices meant citizens and consumers had to spend more on gas, and as a result spent less on other goods and services thus lowering the demand of consumable goods and services. Weaker consumer confidence and less disposable income of course resulted in a change of consumer spending habits.  The negative effects were so alarming that according to a British document made public in 2004, the U.S government had considered using military force to seize oil fields in the Middle East.  The U.S President in office at the time, President Nixon, wanted an oil supply secured in order to protect the US economy. According to the British Memorandum, if the war did not end the United States would consider launching airborne troops to seize oil fields in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Abu Dhabi. Had this happened it would have been an act of war. A drastic measure such as this would not have been considered without the economic instability which the embargo has caused in the United States, or without the more aggressive and uncivilized feelings between the U.S and the Middle East which the embargo had also caused. This action exhibits the power which oil can have over an economy’s stability, and the level of desperation which a nation would go to, in order to stabilize their own economy. With the newly inflamed ill will between the Middle East and the United States (newly found from the oil embargo), some form of retaliation was prompted, and apparently planned (Lizette Alvarez). The following political cartoon also illustrates the Western view of the Middle East – post embargo. See appendix 2. This political cartoon shows an Arab man, standing and guarding a spicket on top of a globe (the world), while the faucet attached to the globe drips one single drop of oil. The cartoon evidently outlines the fact that the Arab world controls almost all the worlds’ oil supply, and from the single drop of oil out of the faucet, the artist presumably tries to express the Middle East’s stinginess with oil, through the enactment of the oil embargo. This cartoon was created by an American citizen about the Arab oil embargo, which therefore suggests that the theme and take away of the cartoon was the general Western opinion of the Arab world at the time; selfish with oil – being a negative opinion. 

The utilization of oil as a weapon will never change, no matter how much time passes or who is in control of the oil. This has been exhibited in recent years as well, but instead of the Middle East being in control, the tables have now turned. The United States in recent years has weened itself off needing much of the Arab oil produced and is now consequently less dependent on foreign oil. With the bubbling tensions between the U.S and Iran, and the current state of the two countries’ relationship, it is only a given that some form of political conflict will take place between the pair eventually. This conflict has come in the form of recent sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States. According to Cyril Widdershoven, there have been new sanctions imposed that restrict Iran from trading oil, and other specific goods with the allies of the United States. These sanctions have severely damaged the Iranian income and economy (Widdershoven). The sanctions, which mainly prohibit Iran from trading oil with any other nation, has created extreme damage to the Iranian economy, giving the United States leverage in any future negotiations (Widdershoven).  By using sanctions against the exportation of oil, the United States has imposed extreme negative consequences on Iran’s economy, thus giving the US the upper hand in any future negotiations. Oil is therefore used as a weapon of manipulation. 

The fluctuating relationship between the Middle East and the west is proven time and again to be driven by oil. Throughout history and in today’s events it can clearly be seen that oil is utilized by the Middle east and the West as a weapon against each other, with differing wielders in each situation. This weapon causes lasting economic effects on the vulnerable nation, as well as inspiring animosity among both nations in the media, and political world. First with the imposition of an oil embargo on the United States, the United Kingdom, and West Germany by the Arab States in retaliation for the wests’ support in the Arab – Israeli war of 1967. Next, the OPEC Arab oil embargo imposed onto the United States for 3 months, causing a new western view of the Middle East to erupt, as well as becoming a main cause to the 1973-1975 U.S recession. Lastly today, with the many sanctions imposed on Iran by the United States prohibiting Iran from trading their oil and cutting of a main source of income - uncovers a prime piece of leverage in negotiation in favor of the United States. Oil is a naturally produced weapon of economic destruction, and political power. The one who possesses oil possesses the power. This has been proven time and time again, in the past and the present. Joseph Stalin, a power-hungry man, is someone who understood that oil translates to power. “...go to the Caucasus and destroy the oil industry. If you leave Hitler even one ton of oil, we shall shoot you.” Power hunger is a trait which all of humanity should be wary of, especially when power is given so easily through the possession of oil. Therefore, be wary what oil can do, and the ways in which nations can manipulate and utilize oil for selfish benefits.  

Appendices:
Appendix 1:  
7   "Arab oil shall be denied to and shall not be allowed to reach directly or indirectly countries committing aggression or participating in aggression on sovereignty of any Arab state or its territories or its territorial waters, particularly the Gulf of Aqaba*" 
8   "The involvement of any country directly or indirectly in armed aggression against Arab states will make assets of its companies and nationals inside the territories of Arab countries subject to the laws of war. This includes the assets of oil companies." 
*The gulf of Aqaba was a gulf in the territory of Egypt, that was captured and became the territory of western forces in the six-day war. 
(“Nations Using Oil”)  
Appendix 2:  
Political Cartoon published in 1974 
 
(“Political Cartoons”) 
 
 
 
Works Cited Page
Alvarez, Lizette. “Documents Show U.S. Considered Using Force During Oil Embargo.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Jan. 2004, www.nytimes.com/2004/01/01/international/middleeast/documents-show-us-considered-using-force-during-oil.html. 
Amadeo, Kimberly. “The Truth About the 1973 Arab Oil Crisis.” The Balance, The Balance, 30 Mar. 2019, www.thebalance.com/opec-oil-embargo-causes-and-effects-of-the-crisis-3305806. 
Gross, Samantha. “The 1967 War and the ‘Oil Weapon.’” Brookings, Brookings Education, 4 June 2017, www.brookings.edu/blog/markaz/2017/06/05/the-1967-war-and-the-oil-weapon/. 
“Nations Using Oil 'as a Weapon' Causing Damage to OPEC -Iran Oil Minister.” Reuters, Thomson Reuters, 1 May 2019, www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-iran-oil-zanganeh/nations-using-oil-as-a-weapon-causing-damage-to-opec-iran-oil-minister-idUSKCN1S73ON. 
“Oil Dependence and U.S. Foreign Policy.” Council on Foreign Relations - Timeline, Council on Foreign Relations, 2017, www.cfr.org/timeline/oil-dependence-and-us-foreign-policy. 
“Political Cartoons.” History Teaching Institute, 2018, hti.osu.edu/opper/lesson-plans/energy-crisis/images/you-may-force-us-to-do-something-about-this. 
“What Countries Are the Top Producers and Consumers of Oil?” US Energy Information Administration, EIA, 2 Jan. 2020, www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=709&t=6. 
Widdershoven, Cyril. “The Iran Crisis Is Far from Over.” OilPrice.com, 10 Jan. 2020, oilprice.com/Energy/Energy-General/The-Iran-Crisis-