The Vietnam era was a most interesting and trying time in our history. The propaganda of the time was the "domino theory". If Vietnam fell to the communists the rest of se Asia would fall like dominoes. Funny how that didn't happen. At least not there it didn't happen. Change focus to the middle east, early 70's. We were still in the "cold war" with Russia. The ruling shah of Iran convinced then sec of state Henry Kissinger that he should be allowed to nationalize Iranian oil wells so he could get more money from selling the oil himself rather than the royalties paid from the oil companies. The much needed money was to beef up the Iranian military to counter the possible Russian threat on it's northern border. The oil companies were always dealing with the local rulers clamoring for more money but would deal with the problem by just turning off the wells and pump others as needed until quiet was again maintained. Against the protests of the oil companies Kissinger sold it to Nixon. Iran nationalized the oil and beefed up their military much to the glee of our military industrial complex. Then one by one the rest of the middle eastern countries nationalized their oil wells as the dominoes fell. OPEC came into being, the price of oil exploded, the sheiks got richer and richer, extremists found funding- take it from there.
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