Common Sense

For an assistant professor (American University’s School of International Service) three years out of graduate school (Princeton), Jeff Colgan is making quite a splash. As a scholar working at the nexus between economics and political science, he’s specialized in analyzing the links between petroleum and international conflict. His new book, Petro-Aggression, explores the question of why some oil-fueled regimes stir the geopolitical pot (think Iran, Venezuela) while others are quite conservative (Saudi Arabia). But we’re most taken with his working paper on OPEC, in which he argues that the cartel (as opposed to individual cartel members) is toothless.