David M. Wight - Oil Money: Middle East Petrodollars and the Transformation of US Empire, 1967–1988

This book would not have been possible without the support of numerous people and institutions; I am indebted to all of you.

This project originated at the Department of History of the University of California Irvine, continued within the postdoctoral programs at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University and the Dickey Center for International Understanding at Dartmouth College, and was completed at the Department of History at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The final product was only possible through not only the financial support of these institutions but also the intellectual engagement of their faculty and students. Additionally, this research received support from the Gerald R. Ford Foundation Research Travel Grant, the Kugelman Research Fellowship from the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, and the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations Samuel Flagg Bemis Dissertation Fellowship and Dissertation Completion Fellowship.

Special mention must go to Emily Rosenberg, who provided unsurpassed inspiration and guidance for this project. The early faith and ongoing advice of Michael McGandy and Mark Bradley at Cornell University Press in the potential of this book also sustained my writing over the years. More scholars than I can name have exchanged ideas and provided feedback about chapters that has immeasurably improved the final product of my research. Special thanks goes to Noel Anderson, Mary Barton, Thomas Borstelmann, Suparna Chaudhry, Sean Fear, Udi Greenberg, Eric Hundman, Sabrina Karim, Mark LeVine, Shanon Fitzpatrick, Fredrik Logevall, Erez Manela, Edward Miller, Jennifer Miller, Amy Offner, Anne Parsons, Robert Rakove, Daniel Sargent, Kristina Shull, Thomas Sizgorich, Jennifer Graham Staver, Thomas Storrs, Annessa Stagner Stulp, Stephen Walt, Odd Arne Westad, William Wohlforth, Salim Yaqub, Amina Yassine, Thomas Zeiler, and an anonymous reviewer.

Great thanks are also due to the many archivists that provided invaluable assistance to me during my research. The countless people who extended their welcome or a friendly conversation while I traveled for research have my heartfelt thanks as well. To all of my family and friends, thank you for your support and for providing much-needed breaks from the research and writing process. A special note of thanks to my family in Lebanon and the American Research Center in Egypt is due for their exceptional hospitality. To Mom and Dad, thank you for the immeasurable love, education, support, and opportunities you have provided me. To Layla and Clara, thank you for brightening the final years of writing with your smiles and wonder.

My greatest thanks are reserved for my wife, partner, and best friend, Michelle. You invested in and sacrificed more for this project than anyone. Your love and support made this book possible, and I am forever grateful.