Rising Powers, Shrinking Planet: How Scarce Energy is Creating a New World Order - Softcover

"A brilliant exposition on one of the gigantic problems facing society. Klare is a top expert on the politics of energy and resources. Read him!"--Paul R. Ehrlich, author of "The Dominant Animal""Four centuries ago, as the conquistadors roamed through South America, it was the search for gold that drove the clash of empires. A hundred years later, as the great powers fought over the West Indies, it was the quest for land that could grow sugar cane. Today, the key commodity is oil. No one knows this subject better than Michael Klare, and his book is a trenchant and informative guide to what the fatal thirst for oil means for the tensions and rivalries of our fragile planet."--Adam Hochschild, author of "King Leopold's Ghost""If you want to understand the future of international relations, worry less about ideology and more about oil reserves. Michael Klare's superb new book explains, in haunting detail, the trends that will lead us into a series of dangerous traps, unless we mu

From the pre-eminent expert on resource geopolitics, an indispensable account of how the world's increasing demand for ever-diminishing supplies of vital resources is radically changing the international balance of power. The price of oil has doubled in less than two years. And it is still rising. This dizzying upward spiral cannot be explained away by a temporary OPEC embargo, or a sudden flare-up in the Middle-East. Instead, it is a sign of a permanent new structure of world power, one in which market forces and military strength matter far less than the global scarcity of vital natural resources.Documenting this new dynamic, Michael Klare forecasts a future of surprising new alliances and explosive danger. As essential sources of energy rapidly deplete, governments rather than corporations are taking over the pursuit of resources. The future holds a radically altered world where the West is forced to compete with the 'Chindia' juggernaut and a resurgent Russia holds Europe to ransom. The only route to survival, Klare shows, lies in an unprecedented level of international cooperation. A window into the current oil crisis engulfing the world, this is an essential and highly relevant insight into the future of global politics.