Petro-aggression

Petro-aggression occurs when a revolutionary government comes to power in a petrostate (an oil-exporting country). Oil on its own does not cause international aggression. But the combination of oil and revolution is dangerous. One study suggests that petro-revolutionary states are 250 percent more likely to instigate international conflicts than a typical country.^[1]

It remains unclear whether the pattern of petro-aggression found in oil-rich countries also applies to other natural resources besides oil.^[2]

Possible examples

• Iraq
• Iran
• Libya
• Biafra
• Indonesia

See also

• Resource curse
• War
• Rent seeking
• Political corruption

References

1. Colgan, Jeff (2013). Petro-Aggression: When Oil Causes War. Cambridge University Press.
2. Homer-Dixon, Thomas (1999). Environment, Scarcity, and Violence. Princeton University Press.

Further reading

• Colgan, Jeff (2013). Petro-Aggression: When Oil Causes War. Cambridge University Press.
• Ross, Michael (2012). The Oil Curse. Princeton University Press.
• Yergin, Daniel (2008). The Prize.