"With this book, Bob Vitalis tackles the geopolitical "truths" about oil: that US presence in the Gulf and our relationship with Saudi Arabia is necessary to stabilize an otherwise volatile market; that US oil independence is necessary to prevent foreign powers from controlling and limiting...

Contents -- Foreword -- Cast of characters -- Captive narratives: a brief and unexceptional introduction to the history of firms and states -- Part 1. The nearest faraway place -- Arabian frontiers -- American camp -- The wizards of Dhahran -- Part 2. Desire's empty quarter -- Ayyam al-Kadalak...

“Asia constitutes the hub of the transformation of global economic power today. The Gulf, itself part of Asia, is of increasing importance in this transformation. This book documents the growing interactions between the economies of the Gulf states and those of the rest of Asia. These...