How the US uses oil as a geopolitical weapon episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 30, 2026 · 37 MIN

How the US uses oil as a geopolitical weapon

from Geopolitical Economy Report · host Ben Norton

Oil has been at the center of the war on Iran. Ben Norton explains how the United States became the biggest oil producer on Earth, and how the US empire uses petroleum as a geopolitical and economic weapon, pushing for monopolistic Big Oil corporations to dominate the global market. Ben also discusses why Trump pressured the UAE to withdraw from OPEC, and he debunks the myth that the USA is "energy independent". VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh-E3q6tGEw Check out our related video on the biggest oil crisis in history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUdyPJM_rOw Topics 0:00 Iran war and oil 0:36 Petrodollar 1:52 USA is biggest oil producer 3:39 US oil exports increase 4:32 Oil price skyrockets 5:03 Corporate profits rise 5:37 Strait of Hormuz 6:30 UAE withdraws from OPEC 7:31 Abraham Accords 8:37 OPEC history 9:14 Seven Sisters: Big Oil 11:01 OPEC members 12:13 OPEC+ participants 13:18 Goal of OPEC 14:25 State-owned oil companies 15:12 Why USA dislikes OPEC 16:56 Oil is political 17:18 Venezuela economic war 19:06 Big Oil execs in US govt 20:55 Cuba oil blockade 22:29 Energy and food crisis 23:36 US "energy independence" 25:06 US oil imports 26:12 Types of crude oil 27:26 US oil refineries 28:47 US imports by country 30:36 Oil benchmarks 32:47 Oil futures market 33:53 Price predictions 36:04 Economic crisis fears 37:02 Outro

Oil has been at the center of the war on Iran. Ben Norton explains how the United States became the biggest oil producer on Earth, and how the US empire uses petroleum as a geopolitical and economic weapon, pushing for monopolistic Big Oil corporations to dominate the global market. Ben also discusses why Trump pressured the UAE to withdraw from OPEC, and he debunks the myth that the USA is "energy independent". VIDEO: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gh-E3q6tGEw Check out our related video on the biggest oil crisis in history: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bUdyPJM_rOw Topics 0:00 Iran war and oil 0:36 Petrodollar 1:52 USA is biggest oil producer 3:39 US oil exports increase 4:32 Oil price skyrockets 5:03 Corporate profits rise 5:37 Strait of Hormuz 6:30 UAE withdraws from OPEC 7:31 Abraham Accords 8:37 OPEC history 9:14 Seven Sisters: Big Oil 11:01 OPEC members 12:13 OPEC+ participants 13:18 Goal of OPEC 14:25 State-owned oil companies 15:12 Why USA dislikes OPEC 16:56 Oil is political 17:18 Venezuela economic war 19:06 Big Oil execs in US govt 20:55 Cuba oil blockade 22:29 Energy and food crisis 23:36 US "energy independence" 25:06 US oil imports 26:12 Types of crude oil 27:26 US oil refineries 28:47 US imports by country 30:36 Oil benchmarks 32:47 Oil futures market 33:53 Price predictions 36:04 Economic crisis fears 37:02 Outro

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How the US uses oil as a geopolitical weapon

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Powering the Middle TJ Wilde The podcast that celebrates the backbone of America, our middle class and small businesses. We dive into the challenges that harm consumers. Threaten businesses and undermine our economy. How do we blend timeless values and traditions with modern technology to secure a brighter future? Come explore how middle class values and small businesses can keep driving the economy, creating jobs, and offering the American dream My Take On It with Your Angelic Karma® Your Angelic Karma Here we take a look at how the United States measures alongside other First World Nations. + taking a deep dive into the science -The Report Psychos with Ryan Williams Ryan Williams This is a podcast on healthcare, trauma, and the future of mental health.On Psychos, Ryan welcomes storytellers, researchers, comedians, actors, teachers, writers, musicians to discuss their relationship with their health. Ryan's conversational interview style gives guests a place to discuss how they are connected to their health, which will be completely new to listeners. We also have a few breathwork classes, and some older episodes from Ryan's old Influencer Economy podcast. You can follow the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, or anywhere else you listen to podcasts. Newsic – The sound of the headlines Newsic Team Newsic – The sound of the headlines. Reading news is boring. Hear the headlines instead: 6am ET Economy, 8am ET Science, 12pm ET Entertainment, 4pm ET Tech, 8pm ET Politics. Daily AI-generated music from the latest news.

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This episode was published on April 30, 2026.

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Oil has been at the center of the war on Iran. Ben Norton explains how the United States became the biggest oil producer on Earth, and how the US empire uses petroleum as a geopolitical and economic weapon, pushing for monopolistic Big Oil...

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