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A Century of War: : Anglo-American Oil Politics and the New World Order Paperback – February 21, 2011

4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 225 ratings

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"A must read for every citizen on this planet…“ -- Amazon Customer

“A must read…” -- Ahmed M. Alrayes

"One of the best books i ever read.“ -- Abdulmuhsen S Al Meshaan

"…this clearly written book is a must read “ -- José Ewerton

"My many thanks to Mr. Engdhal for his monumental work.“ -- Rugambwa Smart

“Read this book“ -- K. W. Tighe

“Great book!” -- Remo Williams

"Fascinating information “ -- Goodview

"Excellent book.“ -- Gospi

"Great book…“ -- Peter B.

"Five Stars “ -- No Name

"Great Facts…“ -- champ

This book has become an international best-seller and appears in fourteen foreign languages. It details the emergence of the United States through the control of one commodity, oil. It traces that rise from the end of the 19th century, through two world wars to the endless wars of today over oil.

Here’s some of what you will learn:

+ How Churchill and the British Navy shaped the events that led to World War I and the hidden role of control of Middle East oil behind the war.
+ How the British manipulated the 1919 Mandate to control Palestine, the Balfour Declaration, Sykes-Picot and the 1919 carve up the Middle East in a manner that haunts the world to this day.
+ Why Iran’s Mossadegh had to be toppled by the CIA in the 1950’S to preserve Anglo-American oil control.
+ The real reason the CIA toppled France’s President de Gaulle in May 1968
+ The secret origins of the post-1973 oil shocks and the Petro-dollar to replace the gold-backed dollar.
+ The real background to the toppling of Saddam Hussein going back to the 1990s.
+ The actual hidden role for control of world oil behind the post-911 US War on Terror.

This is a story about power, power over entire nations and continents. The story describes the vehicle to that unparalleled power over nations, oil, and the vital role it has played in peace as well as wars in the past century. Henry Kissinger, the former American Secretary of State put it succinctly during the first oil shock of the early 1970’s. He declared, “Control the oil and you control entire nations.” A thin red line runs through the history of the world since Fashoda, and that is covered in oil and blood. This book is not for the faint of heart, but it is meant to provoke reflection and discussion among those who can see beyond the daily media manipulation of reality that is called news.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

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, British Guyana"

This book is definitely not for the fearful or inattentive reader. It goes to the fundamentals... an extraordinary work that sheds lights on the problems of our society. -- Col. Fletcher Prouty, USAF (ret.) "author of The Secret Team"

This book 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"

From the Back Cover

This Book is a Gripping Account of the Murky World of the Anglo-American Oil Industry and its Hidden Role in World Politics.

William Engdahl takes the reader through the history of how seven giant oil companies - five American and two British - developed a controlling grip on the world's economy unprecedented in history. This is no ordinary history of oil. It is a history of global politics, more precisely of global geopolitics - how control of strategic geographical pivot regions first British and later American interests to control in large part the world economy.

The book sheds light for the first time on such events as the 1973 oil shock - a sudden 400% rise in the price of the world's most essential commodity in a matter of weeks. What William Engdahl reveals, with flawless documentation, will shock most people. The implications are even more devastating. He also documents how oil played an essential role in the ultimate collapse of the Soviet Union, in the rise and fall of the Taliban in Afghanistan, in the US occupation of Iraq and countless other events not normally understood in such a light.

Contents: Ch. 1. The Three Pillars of the British Empire. Ch. 2. The Lines are Drawn: Germany and the Geopolitics of the Great War. Ch. 3. A Global Fight for Control of Petroleum Begins. Ch. 4. Oil Becomes the Weapon, the Near East the Battleground. Ch. 5.Combined & Conflicting Goals: U.S. Rivals Britain. Ch. 6. The Anglo-Americans Close Ranks. Ch. 7. Oil and a New World Order of Bretton Woods. Ch, 8. A Sterling Crisis and the Adenauer-de Gaulle Threat. Ch. 9. Running the World Economy in Reverse: Who Made the 1970's Oil Shocks? Ch. 10. Europe, Japan and a Response to the Oil Shock. Ch. 11. Imposing the New World Order. Ch. 12. From Evil Empire to the Axis of Evil. Ch. 13. A New Millennium for Oil Geopolitics.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ edition.engdahl (February 21, 2011)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 356 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 3981326326
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-3981326321
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.15 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.89 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 225 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
225 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on April 8, 2008
First, I'd like to thank fellow Amazon reviewer S. Swink for suggesting this book in a comment he helpfully attached to my review of "Conjuring Hitler". That tip led me to read the most interesting and informative book I have read in a long time. As there are already 29 reviews, many of them very insightful, I will touch on topics that were not emphasised in the reviews so far. These are topics I've heard a lot about lately, but more by way of heated references than the informed discussion found in "A Century Of War". I will list a few of them.

* "Bretton Woods Agreements" - Engdahl explains the motivations of the Anglo-Americans behind the agreements and the central role of oil, which many discussions don't emphasise enough.

* "The New World Order" - Not a conspiracy theory, but a conspiracy fact. George HW Bush waxed poetic about the NWO until he was advised to tone it down. Rather than misquote the back of the US $1 bill, Engdahl explains what was actually meant by the NWO, at least at the time the term was current in the early 1990s.

* "Bilderberg Group" - Again, not a conspiracy theory. I quote an endnote to Chapter 9:
" 'Saltjöbaden conference' Bilderberg meetings, 11-13 May, 1973. The author obtained an original copy of the official discussion from this meeting. Normally confidential, the document was bought in a Paris used bookstore, apparently coming from the library of a member. "

In this book you will find irrefutable proof that the 1973 OPEC oil price "crisis" was the result of an elitist cabal, with the Bilderberg Group at the centre of the cabal. (And some reviewers complained about the lack of documentation!)

* "Trilateral Commission" - Founded in 1973 by David Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski, this is a very real and powerful group, indeed. Jimmy Carter, who nominally presided over what was then dubbed the "Trilateral Presidency", was selected by the Trilateraloids. By way of documentation, Engdahl lists the "Founding members of the Trilateral Commission (1973)".

* "Malthusian" - Now also "neo-Malthusian". I didn't understand what this reference to the Rev. Malthus had to do with modern economics until I read this book. Yes, overpopulation is a problem, but you don't solve the problem the way the neo-Malthusians in the IMF do it.

* "PNAC" - The Project for a New American Century, obviously not a conspiracy theory. I didn't actually see anything new about PNAC that isn't available all over the Internet, but Engdahl does weave the neocon policies into the fabric of his discussion.

* The fall of the Shah of Iran and the Russian invasion of Afghanistan. - Perhaps most people have forgotten by now that the US engineered the replacement of the Shah with the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. It seems that the Shah was not only cutting deals to bypass the Anglo-American Seven Sisters to sell oil, but was also making deals to install nuclear power plants in Iran. (Sound familiar?) This move naturally had the fingerprints of the then National Security advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski all over it. Brzezinski is also defiantly proud of provoking the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, which was perhaps the single most important factor leading to the demise of the USSR.

The second edition of this book (2004) seems to contain many new references, plus an new introduction and final chapter. If you have only read the earlier edition, I suggest getting the newer one. I would eventually like to see a third edition, in line with the changing political situation in the USA, and particularly in view of Engdahl's changed views on the source of oil since the publication of this book. He now subscribes to the a-biotic or abiotic theory, abandoning his prior belief in the peak oil theory mentioned in the final chapter of "A Century Of War".

Apropos the headline of my review, I found Engdahl's references to the "Trilateral Presidency" of Jimmy Carter and Zbigniew Brzezinski's role as one of Carter's primary advisors particularly timely. As the neocons are gradually exiting from central roles in government, control behind the scenes is inevitably shifting, perhaps back to a more left-of-centre public face. Zbigniew Brzezinski has re-surfaced lately as a darling of the Left due to his opposition to the neocon policy in the Middle East and his role as the primary foreign policy controller of Barak Obama. This book as helped convince me that Brzezinski's presence in this milieu is probably not a good sign.

I recommend keeping up with the latest articles by Mr Engdahl, which are easily found on the Internet. He now has his own website which you can easily find.

I also recommend some books that cover some of the topics in "A Century Of War" in more detail.

For a detailed look at the Anglo-American machinations against Germany after WW 1:
Conjuring Hitler: How Britain And America Made the Third Reich
What's so bad about the IMF? and details of the financial deal between the USA and Saudi Arabia in the mid-1970s:
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
Much on the US military empire:
Nemesis: The Last Days of the American Republic (American Empire Project)
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Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2007
If you want to understand how the world economy runs and how it is dominated by the United States, why most of the `big events' in international affairs of the 20th century occured, why the US invaded Iraq, and why the US is threatening Iran, in short if you want to know the facts that are driving the headlines, READ THIS BOOK. This book is far from perfect, as I explain below, and you may not agree with everything that Engdahl says (I don't), but I guarantee that it will change your worldview forever.

The fundamental theme of this book is to describe the relationship between international monentary policy, banking, and the geopolitics of oil, and how the confluence of these three economic factors has central link between virtually all of the great events of the 20th century. Engdahl starts by discussing the state of the British empire at the end of the 19th century, the threat posed by the industrial rise of Germany, and the role that new technologies play in this rivalry. Central to this technological revolution is an energy revolution and access to oil. He described how the large banking conglomerates of NYC and London formed and grew in power as a result of WWI and their intimate link to oil. This is tied in to the growth of the US economy before and during WWII, and the supreme position the US found itself in after the war. There is a lengthy discussion about the Bretton Woods conference in which the world formally accepted a link between the dollar and gold. The most interesting part of the book is the discussion of the floating of the dollar in the late 60s and the relationship between the dollar and 1973 oil shock. Finally, Engdahl explains how manipulations of the price of oil and the strength of the dollar have been made over the last 30 years to carry out various policy objectives. There is some discussion of peak oil in the final chapter.

There are several serious drawbacks to the book. Most importantly, the author does a great disservice to this subject by stating or (more often) implying that everything that occurs is part of some vast, organized conspiracy. It could allow critics/skeptics to dismiss the otherwise strong arguments of this book. Engdahl states that certain people `mysteriously' die, or brings up vague connections between various participants, but never explores these in depth. Second, there are not nearly enough references in this book to provide independent evidence to support many of the claims. The author should have done a MUCH better job documenting independent sources for his claims. Third, there is way too much hyperbole in this book, the language is just way overblown: everything is enormous, catastrophic, etc. Even with all these negatives though, I still rate this as a five star book because I believe that Mr. Engdahl's central argument regarding the relation between monentary policy, international banking, and the geopolitics of oil is correct, and this is the best single volume source that explains how these are tied together and how they have evolved over the past 100+ years.

Incidentally, there are two somewhat peripheral point brought up by Engdahl that most 21st century Americans will find interesting. The economic choices made by the British empire over 50+ years as it declined from the late 19th century until it was definitively replaced by the US after WWII are now being made by the US. Second, if you want to know why the US invaded Iraq, and why we are trying to instigate a war with Iran, read this book. The issue had absolutely nothing to do with WMD, Saddam's war crimes, or violations of UN resolutions. The overwhelming majority of people have no idea why we went into Iraq, and more importantly what the stakes are if we fail. People may say that it is about oil, which is true, but not in the way people think. We may never see one drop of Iraqi oil in the US, yet we still invaded. Finally, if you are sceptical of Mr. Engdahl's claim, take a look at the book `Sunrise at Abadan' about the British and Soviet invasion of Iran in 1941. Both countries were literally fighting for their lives, yet they committed vast resources to invade and occupy Iran. Richard Stewart (a retired major in the USMC) described how oil from Iran was absolutely critical to the British war effort.

Bottom line though - a shocking, eye opening book that I highly recommend, even if it is far from perfect.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Dawit
5.0 out of 5 stars Past wrong political policies and decisions are cause for the current global unrest and turmoil
Reviewed in Canada on October 10, 2024
The book explains past wrong political policies and decisions are cause for the current global unrest and turmoil
Tudose Luminita
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
Reviewed in Germany on November 26, 2022
Amazing book and amazing author this book should be a mandatory reading
Aditya
2.0 out of 5 stars Socialist’s view of oil politics
Reviewed in India on January 8, 2021
Good part: the book starts with a good review of the oil politics for more than a century and the interrelation with economics and quest for global hegemony.

A lot of the conspiracies that don’t come out into media are mentioned and some potential causal relations stated. E.g.: the dearth of fossil fuel in US and UK leading to Iraq war, world wars, Balkan wars. The theories sound true.

Bad part: The author’s language, grammar, sentences are sometimes shockingly bad.
Engdahl’s view appear to be predominantly left/socialist leaning. That already colours the story. When the narrative strays into economics and trade, it does not provide a balanced view. The author could easily be mistaken for a Russian or left wing apologist.

One of the problems with this book is that the author depends on people’s views to substantiate the story. For example, towards the end Engdahl cites the statement of a minister who resigned from Tony Blair’s cabinet as concrete evidence.

Having been related to the oil industry for more than a decade, I must admit that the claim Engdahl makes of limitless oil and gas is preposterous. He neither understands the technicalities nor has the ability to cover up his lack of knowledge.
Enrico
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in Italy on September 12, 2017
Testo molto valido.
Chiaro e documentato. Senza peli sulla lingua descrive quasi giornalisticamente la storia delle potenze anglosassone che hanno monopolizzato il mondo del petrolio.
Satya Chari
5.0 out of 5 stars Hihgly recommended....
Reviewed in Australia on January 27, 2017
The late scholar Edward Said wrote in Al-Ahram just after the invasion of Iraq, ‘Every single empire, in its official discourse, has said that it is not like all the others, that its circumstances are special, that it has a mission to enlighten, civilize, bring order and democracy, and that it uses force only as a last resort.’ He did not live long enough to see whether or not his words would be borne out with the new American Century.