Study the roots of 20th Century conflicts and a common theme will emerge: the quest for secure energy. With the conversion of the Royal Navy from coal to oil just before the First World War, and Great Britain’s Anglo-Persian supply chain, oil had for the first time become a strategic commodity. The drive for secure energy has been the motivation for offensive operations ever since, from Hitler’s move into the Caucasus in 1942-43 (which ended in the Stalingrad disaster) to our own rescue of Kuwait from Saddam Hussein in 1991. The Chinese politburo understands this nexus between energy and security/power better than most. As their economy expands, the need for secure energy is paramount to their quest to be the predominant world power.
It is also their Achilles heel at the moment.
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