Description
Book SynopsisOil Leaders offers an unprecedented glimpse into the strategic thinking of top figures in the energy world from the 1980s through the recent past. Ibrahim AlMuhanna—a close adviser to four different Saudi oil ministers over that span of time—examines the role of individual and collective decision making in shaping market movements.
Trade ReviewThe geopolitics of energy is like a global chess match—each move reverberates around the world. No one can tell the inside story of Saudi Arabia, the world’s number one oil exporter, and the power plays and intrigue within OPEC like Ibrahim AlMuhanna. -- John Defterios, former emerging markets editor, anchor, and correspondent, CNN
This book offers unique insight into the thinking of key decision makers and sheds light on events that continue to shape the oil market to this day. It is indispensable for anyone interested in a deeper understanding of the intricate world of energy policy decision making. -- Bassam Fattouh, director of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies
A fascinating account of the people who shaped the oil market over the past forty years. An adviser to every Saudi oil minister over that time, AlMuhanna was literally ‘in the room’ to observe many of these leaders, how they made decisions, and the impact of their choices. A must-read for students of energy, geopolitics, and decision making. -- Mark Finley, Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy
In this book, Ibrahim AlMuhanna reveals for the first time the inner workings of the most important oil supplier in the world, Saudi Arabia. The stories are fascinating, the relationships are complex, and the revelations are stunning. A must-read for anyone in the energy and financial community! -- Gary Ross, chief executive officer of Black Gold Investors LLC and founder of PIRA Energy Group
Ibrahim AlMuhanna has had a front-row seat at the center of international oil diplomacy for more than three decades, and he brings his observations and perspectives from those many years of change together in
Oil Leaders. -- Daniel Yergin, author of
The New Map,
The Prize, and
The QuestOil Leaders provides useful insights into how Riyadh communicates with the market, suggesting
that the kingdom will continue to wield its reserves as both an economic and a political weapon in the
years to come. -- Javier Blas * Bloomberg *
[AlMuhanna's] revelations of governance and diplomacy are gold dust...such books are all too rare. -- Jim Krane * Financial Times *
Offers a rare view inside the Saudi government, providing insight into the forces behind Saudi policy. * H-Environment *
AlMuhanna provides recollections of meetings and stories of how negotiations developed, that readers would otherwise not have access to, as they would neither be recorded nor available in archives. * International Affairs *
Oil Leaders reveals the agency of individuals. Too often the perception is that impersonal market forces determine everything, but political leaders do matter and the decisions they make do have an impact. * Survival *
Recommended for students and researchers in political science, international relations, and Global Affairs, and economists and business personnel in oil production and marketing. * Arab Studies Quarterly *
Table of ContentsForeword, by Robert McNally
Preface
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Decisions, Decision Makers, and Oil
1. Ahmed Zaki Yamani: Good Start, Difficult Ending
2. Hisham Nazer: Shifting Interests and Looking Nationally
3. Saddam Hussein and Sheikh Ali al-Sabah: Invasion of a Nation
4. Luis Giusti, the Jakarta Agreement, and Its Aftermath
5. Prince Saud al-Faisal: An Interim Energy Leader
6. Hugo Chavez: The Rise of a Man and the Decline of a Nation
7. King Abdullah, George W. Bush, and Gordon Brown: The Shadows of 2008
8. Barack Obama, Donald Trump, and Joe Biden: A Revolving U.S. Energy Policy
9. Ali Al-Naimi: The Road to Doha
10. Vladimir Putin: Placing Russia on the Global Oil Map
11. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman: The Forty-Five Day Oil Shock
Conclusion: Thoughts About the Future
Notes
Index
