Energy the Modern State and the American World System

<p><b>Examines political authority in the modern era as a function of specific energy politics.</b></p><p>In this provocative and original study George A. Gonzalez argues that the relationship between energy and the state as well as global politics has become more and more deeply intertwined reaching something of a crescendo with the global hegemony of <i>Pax Americana</i> in the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. He presents a clear and concise case for viewing the modern state as the collaborative and affirmative union of capitalism and political authority in a setting where energy resources be it wind coal or oil provide the basis for the relatively inexpensive projection of political power. More broadly energy serves as the foundation of the modern economy and because of this a prime function of the modern state is ensuring access to cheap reliable sources to power and grow the economy. Historically energy is more of a zero-sum resource than capital markets labor or technology and thus is a greater source of geopolitical tension and violence. Energy politics and by extension international politics is moreover shaped by domestic corporate elites especially those within the United States.</p>