Victor McFarland is an assistant professor in the Missouri University Department of History. His research interests center on energy, the environment, and U.S. relations with the Middle East, with a special focus on Saudi Arabia. His book Oil Powers: A History of the U.S.-Saudi Allianceisavailable now from Columbia University Press. Originally from North Idaho, Dr. McFarland received his B.A. from Stanford University and his M.A., M.Phil., and Ph.D. degrees from Yale University. Before coming to the University of Missouri, he was a Miller Center fellow at the University of Virginia in 2012-13 and a Dickey Center fellow at Dartmouth College in 2013-14. In 2018-19 he servedas a Warren Center faculty fellow at Harvard University. You can follow him on twitter, here. From the Publisher: Since the mid-twentieth century, the United States and Saudi Arabia have built a close but often troubled alliance. In this critical history, Victor McFarland reveals the deep ties binding the leaders of the two nations. Connecting foreign relations and domestic politics, McFarland challenges the view that the U.S.-Saudi alliance is the inevitable consequence of American energy demand and Saudi Arabia’s huge oil reserves.Oil Powerstraces the growth of the alliance through a dense web of political, economic, and social connections that bolstered royal and executive power and the national-security state. McFarland shows how U.S. and Saudi elites collaborated to advance their shared interests against rivals at home and abroad. During the 1970s, as higher oil prices enriched the Saudi government, destabilized the American economy, and changed the balance of power in the Middle East, leaders of both countries responded by consolidating their alliance. Facing objections from their own people, Washington and Riyadh chose to shield their partnership from public oversight and accountability. While American support empowered the Saudi royal family and helped the kingdom expand its influence across the Middle East, Saudi elites also encouraged a rightward shift in U.S. foreign and economic policy—with profound long-term effects.Oil Powersreveals the role of the U.S.-Saudi alliance in laying the groundwork for American military involvement in the Middle East and the entrenchment of a global order fueled by oil. Some Highlights: Why Victor studies US - Saudi policy Arabic language Source base for the book Availability of Saudi sources What is an oil power? Is the US-Saudi relationship an "Alliance?" From King Abdulaziz to Prince MBS The importance of the 1970s Communism and the Cold War Israel The two-country approach to history Suggestions: Victor - Wadjda, (2013) film by Haifaa al-Mansour Steven - Cities of Salt, (1989) book by Abdelrahman Munif Cover image: King Faisal of Saudi Arabia, President Nixon and Mrs Nixon (May, 1971). https://youtu.be/DK6kYku6o7Y