In this episode we examine the US’ response to the OPEC oil sanctions of 1973. Kissinger promised to negotiate a settlement between Israel and Syria which was enough for Assad to convince Arab oil producers to lift the embargo in March 1974. But at the same time, and this was a closely held secret until 2016, Washington began negotiating with the Saudis, offering them technical support, military hardware and training, in exchange for petrodollars and, most importantly, assurances that there would never again be another oil embargo. Today the Saudi’s officially hold $117 billion of U.S. Treasury debt, making them one of America’s largest foreign creditors. We also continue the short version of Hafez Al-Assad’s reign, including the infamous 1982 insurrection in Hama lead by the Muslim Brotherhood, which lead to the Hama Massacre.

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Theme music: Holy Deep by The Passion HiFi

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