In This Review
The Insecure Alliance: Energy Crises And Western Politics Since 1944

The Insecure Alliance: Energy Crises And Western Politics Since 1944

By Ethan B. Kapstein

Oxford, 1990, 257 pp.

This scholarly history is a rare combination of political economy and security, one that looks hard at not only state interests but also the power structure of interstate relations. In the 1950s the United States could coerce its allies into common action; by contrast, the 1973-74 oil crisis turned into a scramble. Later in the decade more compatible interests made attempts at coordination possible, with mixed results.