Petro-Aggression: When Oil Causes War

(Cambridge University Press) This study examines the relationship between “petrostates” whose net oil exports are at least 10 percent of their GDP and aggressive foreign policy. Colgan argues that oil income creates some incentives that increase the chance that a nation will be involved in interstate conflict, and others that decrease the likelihood of aggression. The key is the petrostate’s leader and domestic politics. Colgan is an assistant professor at the School of International Service at American University. Previously he worked at the World Bank and McKinsey and Company.