Cold War and oil interests drove US support for autocratic allies

Evidence

The reason the United States has supported authoritarian regimes for so long is not difficult to discern. In its Cold War confrontation with the Soviet Union, the United States did everything in its power to establish alliances with governments that both supported its battle against communism and provided vital access to oil and energy reserves. Many of these governments were autocratic, but this mattered little when the stakes were so high. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 298

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: The CIA supported the Sicilian Mafia during the Cold War; The US backed absolute monarchies while the USSR backed Arab nationalists. — Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Introduction to…, 246; US Cold War aid coerced political allegiance through carrot-and-stick incentives. — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 143 (+5 more)

Broader Connections

• US Cold War aid coerced political allegiance through carrot-and-stick incentives. #expands (0.60) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 143
• US policy backed dictators and counterrevolution against the Arab Spring #expands (0.50) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 580