Politiche energetiche e relazioni tra Stati Uniti, Regno Unito e i paesi arabi produttori di petrolio (1973-1984)

In 1973, United Kingdom joined the European Community, in the year chosen by the Nixon administration to discuss new terms in the Atlantic relationship, in the so-called “year of Europe”. Negotiations proved to be difficult, since the Europeans, under French leadership, pursued a more independent path, that foresaw an improvement of the Euro-Arab relationship. Few months later, Western powers experienced the first energy crisis, following OPEC countries’ decision to rise prices and to enact an oil embargo in reaction to Western countries siding with Israel in the Yom Kippur War. This decision showed the growing power of the oil producing countries, finally organized and eager to impose their will about production, price, and availability of oil in the international market, to the detriment of the international oil companies. The restriction damaged, among the others, the United States. The U.S. strategy, quickly brought about, in order to ensure peace in the Middle East and the security of oil supplies, found the United Kingdom in a position that challenged the loyalty to its special partner and the will to help the European Community process in the Middle East. This is the scenario where this study starts, aiming to highlight the argumentation, the political process, and the strategy behind the energy policy implemented in those years by Washington and London. A special focus is for the relationship built between Iraq and the western countries in the early 1980s. One year earlier, Washington had lost Iran as ally, following the Khomeini revolution, and needed a new ally to stabilize the area and secure the flow of oil in the western world. From the other side, Iraq, tied since 1972 agreement to Soviet Union, attacked Iran for the supremacy in the area and showed interest in new alliance with the West. The research is based on the existing bibliography and exploit the great contribution of recently declassified documents from the National Archives, Kew Gardens, London, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Archive, in Simi Valley, besides collections of official documents and the online archive on Europe of the Pittsburgh University.