Oil Money, Politics, and Power in the 21st Century

by Bower, Tom

• ISBN13: 9780446547987
• ISBN10: 0446547980
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-06-03
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Summary

With unparalleled insight into BP and its safety record leading up to the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, Tom Bower gives us a groundbreaking, in-depth, and authoritative twenty-year history of the hunt and speculation for our most vital natural resource. OIL Money, Politics, and Power in the 21st Century Twenty years ago oil cost about $7 a barrel. In 2008 the price soared to $148 and then fell to below $40. In the midst of this extraordinary volatility, the major oil conglomerates still spent over a trillion dollars in an increasingly frantic search for more. The story of oil is a story of high stakes and extreme risk. It is the story of the crushing rivalries between men and women exploring for oil five miles beneath the sea, battling for control of the world's biggest corporations, and gambling billions of dollars twenty-four hours every day on oil's prices. It is the story of corporate chieftains in Dallas and London, traders in New York, oil-oligarchs in Moscow, and globe-trotting politicians-all maneuvering for power. With the world as his canvas, acclaimed investigative reporter Tom Bower gathers unprecedented firsthand information from hundreds of sources to give readers the definitive, untold modern history of oil . . . the ultimate story of arrogance, intrigue, and greed.

Author Biography

TOM BOWER is a distinguished investigative historian, broadcaster, and journalist, as well as the author of several bestselling books about tycoons, politicians, intelligence, and post-war Europe.

Table of Contents

Illustrations	p. ix
Preface	p. xi
The Emperor	p. 1
The Explorer	p. 15
The Master Trader	p. 33
The Casualty	p. 58
The Star	p. 77
The Booty Hunters	p. 91
The Oligarchs	p. 115
The Suspect Traders	p. 129
The Crisis	p. 153
The Hunter	p. 173
The Aggressors	p. 203
The Antagonists	p. 210
The Shooting Star	p. 229
The Twister	p. 243
The Gamble	p. 266
The Downfall	p. 283
The Alarm	p. 304
The Struggle	p. 313
The Survivor	p. 326
The Backlash	p. 343
The Confession	p. 372
The Oligarch's Squeeze	p. 396
The Frustrated Regulator	p. 419
Acknowledgments	p. 463
Notes	p. 465
Index	p. 475
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