College Syllabus: “The International Oil Market and the Political Economy of the Middle East”

“The International Oil Market and the Political Economy of the Middle East”

Paul Rivlin, All Levels, Emory University, Spring 2008

This course examines the connections between the world’s reliance on oil and the political economy of the Middle East. The first part of the course examines world energy markets and their development, with emphasis on the USA. It then places oil consumption into the wider energy context. The rise of China and India as energy consumers is also examined, and some environmental issues are analyzed. The second part looks at the Middle East as an oil supplier — what was the role of the West and how renter states came into being. Economic and strategic conclusions are drawn.