We must confront an uncomfortable truth about Iran and the broader geopolitical landscape: our insatiable appetite for oil is driving global mayhem and propping up some of the world's most oppressive regimes. Moving away from fossil fuels could address critical issues we face today, from political instability to environmental collapse.
The Historical Roots of Conflict
To understand the current tensions with Iran, we must contextualize Donald Trump's aggressive stance. Western involvement in the Middle East and Central Asia, spanning over a century, is not a random political phenomenon. It is deeply intertwined with the fuel resources buried beneath these regions.
Trump's war objectives may seem incoherent, but Iran would not be labeled an "enemy of the West" without the events of 1953. That year, Winston Churchill's government convinced the CIA to orchestrate a coup against Iran's popular democratic leader, Mohammad Mossadegh. The motivation was clear: Mossadegh sought to nationalize the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company to prevent foreign exploitation of Iran's wealth.
With UK backing, the U.S. attempted twice to overthrow Mossadegh, succeeding on the second try with help from opportunistic ayatollahs. This reinstated the Shah, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, and led to the rebranding of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company as British Petroleum, later known as BP.
The Cycle of Repression and Revolution
Outrage over the 1953 coup, combined with the Shah's brutal dictatorship, ignited the 1979 revolution. This uprising was ultimately hijacked by ayatollahs, leading to dire consequences for many Iranians. The current regime would not hold power if not for Western governments violently suppressing democracy for oil interests.
Stepping back from this history reveals a broader pattern. The notion of capitalism as synonymous with "free markets" is one of humanity's most pervasive myths. In reality, the system often involves resource plunder, military force against resistance, profit shifting to powerful nations, labor intimidation, consumer deception, rent extraction, and environmental degradation. This is far from free; it is coercive and costly.
The Illusion of Free Markets
Frequently, there is little evidence of genuine markets at play. Land, commodities, and labor are often outright stolen. Public assets like oil reserves, forests, water systems, and railways are handed over to private monopolies at a fraction of their true value. When the wealthy face crises, they receive state bailouts, while the poor are left to fend for themselves. The term "free market capitalism" is inherently contradictory.
Global military might largely serves to channel resource profits—especially from oil—to banks, shareholders, commodity traders, asset managers, hedge funds, and private equity firms. Simultaneously, a vast persuasion infrastructure, including lobbyists, media, and social media algorithms, ensures that the most amoral and aggressive individuals rise to leadership positions. These leaders prioritize oil flow for capital gain, regardless of human suffering, while demonizing opponents and dismissing alternatives as impractical or unpopular.
Underestimating Public Desire for Change
This system leads us to consistently underestimate people's yearning for transformation. For instance, studies show that 89% of the global population desires more action against climate breakdown, yet many believe they are in the minority. During the COVID-19 pandemic, surveys revealed a majority hoped for a post-crisis world prioritizing health, wellbeing, and environmental protection over economic growth. Instead, governments invested billions in restoring flawed systems.
As green technologies threaten hydrocarbon industries and their financial backers, their control over governments and media has intensified. They have poured enormous resources into climate denial and public dissuasion campaigns, resulting in harsher, less open, and less tolerant politics. The democratic recession is significantly driven by fossil fuel interests, with the entire planet suffering from the resource curse.
Oil's Role in Empowering Capitalism
While oil did not create capitalism, it has profoundly extended and empowered it. Reducing our oil dependency disrupts some of the world's most violent and exploitative relationships. It defuels dictators, war machines, coups, assassinations, invasions, and nuclear threats. Although conflicts over water, land, and minerals may persist, diminishing oil reliance represents a substantial step forward.
Moreover, it addresses the greatest violence humans have inflicted on each other: the degradation of all life through climate breakdown. The political and environmental emergencies are inextricably linked. We must adopt an anti-war footing with the urgency traditionally reserved for wartime mobilizations, implementing an emergency program to eliminate fossil fuels from our lives more rapidly and comprehensively than any current government plans.
A Call to Action
Initiatives like the National Emergency Briefing, which will screen a film in cinemas nationwide hosted by volunteers, are crucial. This effort pressures governments to accurately explain our predicament and mobilize for full-scale action. Concerns about cost should consider this: the Climate Change Committee estimates that the additional expense from a single fossil-fuel price spike, similar to 2022's, roughly equals the entire cost of achieving net zero by 2050. The price shock from Trump's attack on Iran could be even greater. Oil spikes yield no benefits, whereas the net zero program offers a new, more secure, and cheaper energy system.
Defeating the fossil fuel machine is no easy task. Capital will employ every means to halt progress, as seen with Extinction Rebellion facing harsh new protest laws in the UK, Standing Rock campaigners in the U.S. opposing oil pipelines, and Earth defenders in the global south confronting paramilitary violence. Control over resources drives politics, and democracy often feels like a mere facade.
Concentrated Power and a Path Forward
Concentrated fossil fuel power leads to concentrated political power. With less dependence on fossil fuels, figures like President Trump, President Putin, the ayatollahs, and Prime Minister Netanyahu might not have risen to prominence. Fossil fuels push the world toward autocracy; overthrowing our demand for them could dismantle much of today's tyranny. A greener, cleaner, cheaper, kinder, and fairer world is within reach if we act decisively.
