Fueling Sovereignty
Colonial Oil and the Creation of Unlikely States
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.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Publication year: 2024
Series: LSE International Studies
More info: CUP website
1: Introduction - Available for free!
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
AWARDS
Winner, Institute for Developing Economies’ Award for the Promotion of Studies on Developing Countries by the Institute for Developing Economies
Shortlisted, the Hedley Bull Prize by the European Consortium for Political Research
Japanese - 『石油が国家を作るとき』(慶應義塾大学出版会、2025年)