I just finished James Norman’s new book: The Oil Card: Global Economic Warfare in the 21st Century.
Norman makes the case that a suppressed oil price was the most important strategic variable in bringing down the Soviet Union two decades ago and that engineering an inflated oil price is now being used to keep China in check. He makes the case that the war in Iraq was driven first and foremost by the importance of keeping the oil price up and China out of a strategic position in the Middle East.
If you want to expand your understanding of the fundamental nature of the political economy and economic warfare in which we live, this is a very good read.