American hegemony and Saudi Arabian oil

Great Britain started losing its hegemonic power with the First World War and would be replaced by the United States as the global hegemon by the Second World War. In the interwar period, the Middle Eastern oil reserves emerged as one of the primary sites of competition between the incumbent and the rising hegemons. This thesis engages in extensive literature review and case study research to account for the role played by energy reserves in the hegemonic transition process as well as the establishment of the US-led postwar international order. The research underlines that Saudi Arabia has emerged as the key supplier to the US, which was keen on improving its energy supply security as well as affecting the global energy markets. Nationalism emerged as a major political movement in the Middle East in the post-war period. The unwavering support that the US provided for Israel since its establishment fueled anti-Western policies in the Arab countries. Following the establishment of OPEC, oil producers sought to collectively use this power for political purposes. Led by Saudi Arabia, oil producers initiated an oil embargo on some Western countries. Compounded with the impact of the global economic crisis, the oil embargo contributed to erosion of the global hegemony of the United States.