Research
Research
Do countries fight wars for oil? Given the resource's exceptional military and economic importance, most people assume that states will do anything to obtain it. Challenging this conventional wisdom, The Oil Wars Myth reveals that countries do not launch major conflicts to acquire petroleum resources. Emily Meierding argues that the costs of foreign invasion, territorial occupation, international retaliation, and damage to oil company relations deter even the most powerful countries from initiating "classic oil wars." Examining a century of interstate violence, she demonstrates that, at most, countries have engaged in mild sparring to advance their petroleum ambitions.
Selected Publications (click titles for access)
"Over a Barrel? Oil Busts and Petrostate Stability,” Comparative Politics (in press).
"The Exaggerated Threat of Oil Wars,” Lawfare, August 2, 2020.
"The Oil Price Crash and International Petro-Politics,” Duck of Minerva, April 24, 2020.
“The Real Reason Trump Won’t Attack Iran" Foreign Policy, September 18, 2019.
“How Cheap Oil Hurts Sub-Saharan Africa,” Monkey Cage blog, Washington Post, June 21, 2018.
“Dismantling the Oil Wars Myth,” Security Studies 25:2 (2016): 258–288.