Jock A. Finlayson and David G. Haglund, in Sur-
vival (Sept.-Oct. 1987), International Institute
for Strategic Studies, 23 Tavistock St., London
WC2E 7NQ, United Kingdom.
A dominant theme of international politics in the late 1970s and early 1980s was that America would be irrevocably drawn into a "resource war" with the Soviet Union, as both sides sought to assure themselves access to essential raw materials. As a presidential candidate in 1980, Ronald Reagan argued that Western...