Fueling Sovereignty
Colonial Oil and the Creation of Unlikely States

Explores the impact of oil and other natural resources on the formation of sovereign states.

Naosuke Mukoyama (Author)

9781009444309, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 March 2024

248 pages
23.5 x 15.9 x 1.7 cm, 0.5 kg

'This book will be of interest to a broad audience of scholars in International Relations, politics and history.' Johanne Marie Skov, International Affairs

European colonialism was often driven by the pursuit of natural resources, and the resulting colonization and decolonization processes have had a profound impact on the formation of the majority of sovereign states that exist today. But how exactly have natural resources influenced the creation of formerly colonized states? And would the world map of sovereign states look significantly different if not for these resources? These questions are at the heart of Fueling Sovereignty, which focuses primarily on oil as the most significant natural resource of the modern era. Naosuke Mukoyama provides a compelling analysis of how colonial oil politics contributed to the creation of some of the world's most “unlikely” states. Drawing on extensive archival sources on Brunei, Qatar and Bahrain, he sheds light on how some small colonial entities achieved independence despite their inclusion in a merger project promoted by the metropole and regional powers.

1. Introduction
2. Theory of separate independence
3. Colonial oil and decolonization in Borneo
4. Colonial oil and decolonization in the Lower Gulf
5. Separate independence in other settings
6. Varying historical impacts of resource endowment
7. Conclusion
References.

Subject Areas: International relations [JPS]