In a February 8 lecture based on his eponymous 2020 book Oilcraft: The Myths of Scarcity and Security That Haunt U.S. Energy Policy, Dr. Robert "Bob" Vitalis aspires to offer a bracing corrective to the myths that have shaped economic, military, and diplomatic policy, dispelling oil-soaked fantasies of dependence: that the U.S. military presence in the Persian Gulf is what guarantees access to this strategic resource; that the "special" relationship with Saudi Arabia is necessary to stabilize an otherwise volatile market; and that these assumptions in turn provide Washington enormous leverage over Europe and Asia.
In addition to being able to attend in-person, the option to attend via Zoom (with required free registration) is available here.