…control oil … control nations.
– Attributed to Henry Kissinger, 1970s
The future of our security -and our planet- is held hostage to our dependence on foreign oil and gas.
– Barack Obama, 2008
The US–an informal empire of global reach–since the end of War World II has gone to war directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly more than any country in the world. It fights ‘forever wars;’ and forever happened again on 28 February, 2026, when it attacked Iran, assisted by its client, Israel, in Operation Epic Fury. Certain things are a bit unusual about this attack and, consequently, are worthy of attention.
Beginning during the Oil Crises of the 1970s, as oil-producing countries began nationalizing their petroleum resources, Washington’s security principals -Republican or Democrat- recognized as Kissinger is reported to have said, ’control oil …control nations.’ Obama put it a bit more ominously -no oil-control, no security. The Middle East was the world’s chief oil producing region, which concentrated the US security elites’ intentions, especially military ones, on the Middle East, broadly understood as ranging from Libya to Afghanistan. This resulted in the 1983 creation of CENTCOM (Central Command), the military organization authorized to violently implement those intentions. Since that time, the US has led wars across the Middle East, and while there is vigorous debate about the causes of these conflicts, Washington’s intention to in some way acquire, maintain, or augment control over petroleum resources is at issue in these debates. Since, then, it is known the US has militarily intervened in the broader Middle East at least nine times, with other covert and clandestine interventions possible and probable.
Changing attributes of these wars include their legality and number of allies the US has mustered to conduct them. The nine conflicts include:
The US-Soviet War in Afghanistan (1979-1989): This was a largely covert war fought by the US in opposition to the Russian invasion of Afghanistan, with the intention of some in the US state and defense departments to halt Soviet encroachment upon the Middle East and its oil.
The First US-Iraq War (1990-1991): This intervention was supported by the UN Security Council with America leading a 42 country Gulf War Coalition to prevent Iraq for seizing Kuwaiti oil.
The US-Afghanistan War (2001-2021): This conflict saw US invasion of Afghanistan. It was supported by the UN that authorized an American-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), a NATO coalition of fifty countries at its peak (with key contributors including the UK, France, and Germany).
Yemen Interventions (2002-2025): These involved largely US aerial warfare in Yemen in favor of Saudi Arabia as part of a Coalition of the Invited. It was not UN authorized. The coalition was small, including the United Arab Republic, the Saudi’s, with some assistance from the UK, France, and Germany. The goal was to prevent the Houthi’s from harming the Saudi oil industry
The Second US-Iraq War (2003-2011): This conflict was declared illegal by the UN Secretary General under the UN Charter. The US invaded Iraq with the Coalition of Willing, that included 49 countries at its height. Its goal was to increase US control over Iraqi oil.
The Libya Intervention (2011): This war, led by the US, was authorized by the UN Security Council, and implemented by a NATO coalition (importantly including the UK and France) that was interesting in acquiring increased control of Libyan oil…
The Syria Intervention (2014-2026): This was an intervention that the UN Security Council did not authorize, but for which the US organized a Global Coalition to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant’ that included over sixty countries. While the US seized control over Syrian oil deposits, US participation in the war was demonstration of how it could control Middle East politics and with that oil.
The Gaza War (2023-2025): This was a war the Israel fought against the Palestinians in response to Hamas attack upon Israel. It was equally an indirect US war, because Washington supplied the instruments of combat (the finances for, and the weapons of) while the Israelis supplied the combatants. The International Court of Justice has found that it is ‘plausible’ that the Gaza war is genocidal. UN commissions of intent and Amnesty International conclude it is a war of genocidal intent. There was no broad coalition led by the US in support of this conflict. Indeed, there is a growing coalition of those who consider it genocidal. Consequently, the two war-fighters -Israel and the US- are appropriately termed a genocidal couple.
US-Iran Wars (1980-present). Covert US warring has droned on against Iran since the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the better to disrupt the Iran government and regain extensive control over Iran’s oil sector. In 2025 and 2026 this fighting went from covert to overt. On 22 June 2025 the genocidal couple attacked Iran. Then on 28 February 2026 in Operation Epic Fury, they did it again.
Is all this American warring about controlling oil to control nations? I believe it substantially is. Three of the conflicts were to gain greater control of a country’s oil -the Second Iraq war, the Libyan intervention, and the attacks on Iran. Two of the conflicts have been to prevent another country from acquiring greater oil control. The First US-Iraq war fought to prevent Iraq from acquiring Kuwaiti oil and the US-Soviet war in Afghanistan war was fought in part to prevent Moscow’s influence in the oil rich Gulf States. One of the wars sought to prevent a US ally from losing control over its oil. This involves US warring in Yemen to prevent Houthi’s from threatening Saudi Arabian oil production; production in which the US is heavily invested. Two of the wars have been about generally maintaining US power in the Middle East. The first of these is the US participation in the Syrian war and the second is the Gaza war, where Washington supports Israel so Israel will support it in the Middle East. However, significant amounts of oil have been discovered off the coast of Gaza, which the US would prefer to be under Israeli rather than Palestinian control. The informal American empire, does seem to have been in the control-oil business. This brings us to the question: What is unusual of the 28 February attack on Iran that makes it worthy of attention?
Perhaps, nothing is abnormal about Operation Epic Fury. It’s what ‘forever wars’ America does; especially when led by a psychologically impaired president. Perhaps, however, something more disturbing is at issue. America is in decline -its economy struggling to keep up with global competitors, its federal government wobbling unstably, like a spent top. Economic and political elites are on deck saving themselves by enriching themselves. Below deck, security elites are finding, as Juan Cole (2024) reported, that American influence in the Middle East is ‘dissolving.’ Afterall, America lost the US-Afghanistan war, the Second US-Iraq war, has trouble achieving its objectives in Yemen, presided over the manufacture of chaos in Libya, and was largely irrelevant to the events of the Syrian conflict until it supported the victors, who were its adversaries during the war. Unsurprisingly, US security principals were unable to secure the usual legitimation for their warring, as the UN had so kindly provided in the past. The UN Secretary General declared the 28 February attack violated international law. Nor are they able to muster the usual coalition to be willing to sign up to service in in the attack. Not even the UK -ever loyal lap-dog of the Americans- participated. So, Operation Epic Fury fell to the genocidal couple, a coalition of two. What is ‘epic’ about American ‘fury’ is that is the murderous folly of a flailing, failing empire.
Reference
Cole, Juan. 2024. American Influence in the Middle East is Evaporating Before Our Eyes. The Nation.
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