Loin des clichés et des stéréotypes, il est temps de se poser la question en historiens : le pétrole a-t-il eu une responsabilité dans les nombreux conflits qui ont émaillé le monde depuis le XIX e siècle ? Pour certains, la réponse va de soi, pour d'autres, ce n'est pas du tout évident. Le regard distancié, critique et un examen sur le long terme permettent de donner des éléments de réponse. Certes, la légende noire du pétrole remonte presque à ses origines. Mais cette commodité de pensée ne remplace pas une analyse véritable. Pour aller plus loin, il est nécessaire de comparer les espaces géographiques et les périodes chronologiques car les contextes sont rarement répétitifs. Chaque situation géopolitique demande un raisonnement approprié. Les approches multiples de ce livre (presque tous les continents y sont abordés) sont donc originales à plus d'un titre. L'image du pétrole en sort changée, sinon bouleversée. Derrière ce produit unique, insaisissable, si convoité, ne faut-ilpas chercher et trouver les dirigeants politiques, les entrepreneurs, les militaires, etc. en un mot l'Humanité avec sa part de dépassement et sa part de rapacité ? Avant de condamner l'or noir, ne serait-il pas utile de lui donner sa place, toute sa place mais seulement sa place afin de constater qu'il ne fut la plupart du temps que le miroir des ambitions humaines.
This book leaves clichés and stereotypes aside and asks an important question: does oil bear responsibility for many of the conflicts in the world since the nineteenth century? Opinions on this issue are divided. For many the question is answered by the fact that oil's bad reputation goes back almost to its first discovery. But to develop a real analysis, it is necessary to compare the geographical locations and contemporary situations of these conflicts, since the contexts involved are seldom comparable. Each geopolitical situation requires nuanced analysis. A critical look at the situation in the long term, touching on situations in nearly every continent, enables the authors of this volume to develop a truly objective response. The image of petroleum emerges changed, if not turned upside down. The authors argue that perhaps we need to look beyond the oil to the political leaders, the entrepreneurs, the military leaders, even to humanity itself, to find the real root of the problem. Before we condemn "black gold", we need to restore it to its proper place, as a reflection of human ambition.
This book leaves clichés and stereotypes aside and asks an important question: does oil bear responsibility for many of the conflicts in the world since the nineteenth century? Opinions on this issue are divided. For many the question is answered by the fact that oil's bad reputation goes back almost to its first discovery. But to develop a real analysis, it is necessary to compare the geographical locations and contemporary situations of these conflicts, since the contexts involved are seldom comparable. Each geopolitical situation requires nuanced analysis. A critical look at the situation in the long term, touching on situations in nearly every continent, enables the authors of this volume to develop a truly objective response. The image of petroleum emerges changed, if not turned upside down. The authors argue that perhaps we need to look beyond the oil to the political leaders, the entrepreneurs, the military leaders, even to humanity itself, to find the real root of the problem. Before we condemn "black gold", we need to restore it to its proper place, as a reflection of human ambition.