Control of oil was a huge thing but that in the end boiled down to geopolitical positioning vs. the USSR. Oil equals economic might, and control of oil also mea

Control of oil was a huge thing but that in the end boiled down to geopolitical positioning vs. the USSR. Oil equals economic might, and control of oil also means the power to turn the oil spigot off and harm the economy. The Cold War really dominated all foreign policy thinking in that era. Everyone else was seen as a chess piece up for grabs by either the US or the USSR. I'm really not defending it. I think a lot of terrible decisions were made during that time. But it is useful to understand why.