'This is the only accurate account I have seen of what really happened with the price of oil in 1973. I strongly recommend reading it.' Sheikh Zaki Yamani, former Oil Minister of Saudi Arabia

'I recommend this book to all who wish to know how the world is really run, what are the systems behind the sub-systems we perceive in the daily media, and what are the antecedents of the present global political dilemmas.' Dr Frederick Wills, former Foreign Minister, Guyana

'For those truly interested about how the world economy functions, this book will be greatly useful. The book treats especially well the political goals of Britain, a thread in modern history all too often overlooked.' Stephen J. Lewis, economist, City of London

'... one of the most readable books I have ever seen. It will shock people, but it is needed. William Engdahl has found a common thread that ties hundreds of events which, at first glance, appear to be unassociated.' Leon D. Richardson, Far East Financial columnist, industrialist, advisory board, Sloan School of Management, Massachussetts Institute of Technology

This book is a gripping account of the murky world of the international oil industry and its role in world politics.

Scandals about oil are familiar to most of us. From George W. Bush's election victory to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, US politics and oil enjoy a controversially close relationship. The US economy relies upon the cheap and unlimited supply of this single fuel.

William Engdahl takes the reader through a history of the oil industry's grip on the world economy. His revelations are startling. Moving from the post-World War I period up to the present day, he shows how oil is – and has always been – the motivating factor in international policy and conflicts.

Shedding light on the 1970s oil shocks and the grand strategy of Washington after the end of the Cold War, Engdahl presents a convincing case that geopolitics and oil were behind the collapse of the Soviet Union, the breakup of Yugoslavia, the rise and fall of the Taliban. He reveals evidence to show that the US and UK decision to go to war in Iraq was not simply an issue of corporate greed. It was a strategic move to control the world economy for the following half century or more.