ENERGY SECURITYExpert: Oil Is Rarely the Cause of War
It is a misconception to talk about ‘oil wars’ and great powers going to war to secure energy supplies, says a professor of political science.
“We should draw a sharp distinction between oil as a cause of war and oil as an instrument in warfare,” says Dag Harald Claes.
He is a professor of political science at the University of Oslo and has researched oil, energy, and international politics for many years.
Claes has recently published a new book examining the role of energy and oil in wars and conflicts.
Oil has come to symbolize modern war and conflict, he explains.
“We easily slip into the idea that ‘it’s all about oil’ when we look at the US role in the Middle East, Russia’s war in Ukraine, and also Iran’s recent closure of the Strait of Hormuz,” says the political scientist.
Oil Is a Political and Military Tool
According to Claes, hardly any wars actually start because of oil.
What we do have many examples of is that oil and gas are used as tools to put pressure on the opponent, finance warfare, or as a tool of sanctions, he explains.
He points, among other things, to the oil embargo against the United States in 1973, which was meant to pressure the Americans into ending their support for Israel. He also refers to repeated past threats to close the Strait of Hormuz in order to force changes in US policy towards Iran.
“In such cases, oil is a political and military card, but it is not the actual cause of war,” he stresses.
He believes the same pattern continues today.
“The war in Ukraine is first and foremost about territory and state sovereignty. Putin will not accept a Ukraine that is an independent, Western-oriented state. Energy enters the picture as sanctions going both ways between Russia and the EU,” Claes explains.
He notes that Russia limited gas supplies to Europe before the attack in 2022.
After the attack, the EU cut imports from Russia. Europe has had to manage the loss of around 40 per cent of its former gas supply from Russia.
“But again, that gas is not the reason the war started,” he says.
The Strait of Hormuz – Iran’s Strongest Card
Particularly relevant today is the US use of force against Iran and the subsequent closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Dag Harald Claes points out that between 15 and 20 per cent of the world’s oil consumption normally passes through this strait every day, along with gas and other goods. The recent closure of the strait affected food prices, energy supplies, and industrial production globally.
