Overview

In 1933 American oilmen representing what later became the Arabian American Oil Company (Aramco) signed a concession agreement with the Saudi Arabian king granting the company sole proprietorship over the oil reserves in the country's largest province. As drilling commenced and wells proliferated, Aramco soon became a major presence in the region. In this book Chad H. Parker tells Aramco's story, showing how an American company seeking resources and profits not only contributed to Saudi “nation building” but helped define U.S. foreign policy during the early Cold War. In the years following World War II, as Aramco expanded its role in Saudi Arabia, the idea of “modernization” emerged as a central component of American foreign policy toward newly independent states. Although the company engaged in practices supportive of U.S. goals, its own modernizing efforts tended to be pragmatic rather than policy-driven, more consistent with furthering its business interests than with validating abstract theories. Aramco built the infrastructure necessary to extract oil and also carved At the same time, executives cultivated powerful relationships with Saudi government officials and, to the annoyance of U.S. officials, even served the monarchy in diplomatic disputes. Before long the company became the principal American diplomatic, political, and cultural agent in the country, a role it would continue to play until 1973, when the Saudi government took over its operation.

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9781625341570

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Reviews

A valuable case study of 'private diplomacy, ' Making the Desert Modern will serve as a model for a growing number of scholars in diplomatic history who are turning their attention to the roots of economic globalization and the interplay between corporations and states in an international context.--Christian G. Appy, author of American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity As Parker convincingly demonstrates, ARAMCO helped transform Saudi Arabia from a backwater of Bedouin tribes to a modern state. Recommended.--Choice Parker's focus on Aramco brings to light the way private companies and contractors have played crucial roles in defining American presence overseas and in the Middle East in particular.--Diplomatic History Studies such as this are essential for better understanding of the many dimensions of relations, particularly when a complex interplay of corporate and public interests exist.--American Historical Review Parker's careful exploration of Aramco's experience in Saudi Arabia offers fresh insights into the mid-twentieth-century American modernization project and into the challenges that the project encountered from local authority on the ground. In the end, he makes clear that the best-laid corporate plans were no match for the determination of the Saudi monarchy, which bent the company in self-serving ways.--Journal of American History

A valuable case study of 'private diplomacy, ' Making the Desert Modern will serve as a model for a growing number of scholars in diplomatic history who are turning their attention to the roots of economic globalization and the interplay between corporations and states in an international context.--Christian G. Appy, author of American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National IdentityAs Parker convincingly demonstrates, ARAMCO helped transform Saudi Arabia from a backwater of Bedouin tribes to a modern state. Recommended.--ChoiceParker's focus on Aramco brings to light the way private companies and contractors have played crucial roles in defining American presence overseas and in the Middle East in particular.--Diplomatic HistoryStudies such as this are essential for better understanding of the many dimensions of relations, particularly when a complex interplay of corporate and public interests exist.--American Historical ReviewParker's careful exploration of Aramco's experience in Saudi Arabia offers fresh insights into the mid-twentieth-century American modernization project and into the challenges that the project encountered from local authority on the ground. In the end, he makes clear that the best-laid corporate plans were no match for the determination of the Saudi monarchy, which bent the company in self-serving ways.--Journal of American History

A valuable case study of 'private diplomacy, ' Making the Desert Modern will serve as a model for a growing number of scholars in diplomatic history who are turning their attention to the roots of economic globalization and the interplay between corporations and states in an international context.--Christian G. Appy, author of American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity As Parker convincingly demonstrates, ARAMCO helped transform Saudi Arabia from a backwater of Bedouin tribes to a modern state. Recommended.--Choice Parker's focus on Aramco brings to light the way private companies and contractors have played crucial roles in defining American presence overseas and in the Middle East in particular.--Diplomatic History Studies such as this are essential for better understanding of the many dimensions of relations, particularly when a complex interplay of corporate and public interests exist.--American Historical Review Parker's careful exploration of Aramco's experience in Saudi Arabia offers fresh insights into the mid-twentieth-century American modernization project and into the challenges that the project encountered from local authority on the ground. In the end, he makes clear that the best-laid corporate plans were no match for the determination of the Saudi monarchy, which bent the company in self-serving ways.--Journal of American History

A valuable case study of 'private diplomacy, ' Making the Desert Modern will serve as a model for a growing number of scholars in diplomatic history who are turning their attention to the roots of economic globalization and the interplay between corporations and states in an international context.--Christian G. Appy, author of American Reckoning: The Vietnam War and Our National Identity As Parker convincingly demonstrates, ARAMCO helped transform Saudi Arabia from a backwater of Bedouin tribes to a modern state. Recommended.--Choice Parker's focus on Aramco brings to light the way private companies and contractors have played crucial roles in defining American presence overseas and in the Middle East in particular.--Diplomatic History Studies such as this are essential for better understanding of the many dimensions of relations, particularly when a complex interplay of corporate and public interests exist.--American Historical Review Parker's careful exploration of Aramco's experience in Saudi Arabia offers fresh insights into the mid-twentieth-century American modernization project and into the challenges that the project encountered from local authority on the ground. In the end, he makes clear that the best-laid corporate plans were no match for the determination of the Saudi monarchy, which bent the company in self-serving ways.--Journal of American History

Author Information

Chad H. Parker is associate professor of history at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, USA.

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