The Repeat Playbook of Resource Control
FIRST INSTANCE: The Anglo-American Oil Agreement (1944) The pursuit of secure resource chains is not a contemporary phenomenon. Following World War II, the United States, recognizing its emergent global power, sought to formalize control over petroleum resources. The proposed Anglo-American Oil Agreement in August 1944 aimed to establish an international petroleum commission, effectively
stabilizing and, by extension, controlling global oil supply. While never fully ratified in its original form due to domestic US opposition, its intent revealed a clear strategic imperative: secure resources vital to economic and military supremacy. This was less about market efficiency and more about geopolitical leverage. The US already held substantial proven oil reserves at the time (estimated
at 20 billion barrels in 1945), yet sought external control, indicating a forward-looking strategy of sustained dominance. REPETITIONS: The Cold War and 'Resource Nationalism' (1950s-1970s) The Cold War era saw this pattern applied extensively to a broader range of strategic materials. Confronted with newly independent nations asserting 'resource nationalism,' the US often resorted to covert
operations or economic pressure to ensure continued access. For example, the 1954 CIA-backed coup in Guatemala, which overthrew democratically elected President Jacobo Árbenz, was partly driven by the United Fruit Company's interests in land and resources, but also by the broader Cold War imperative to prevent perceived Soviet influence and secure critical agricultural commodities. Similarly,