This book reveals the dirty politics behind America's -- and the world's -- deadliest addiction. Every day, the United States consumes more than 18 million barrels of oil, an amount equivalent to the daily usage of Europe and the states of the former Soviet Union combined. The majority of this oil goes into cars, trucks, and SUVs in the form of gasoline. Indeed, one barrel of oil out of every seven produced in the world is destined to fill the tanks of cars in America. In Oil: Anatomy of an Industry, Matthew Yeomans explores the role of oil in America -- from driving the US economic engine, to consolidating the US's position as unilateral superpower -- and explains the American consumer's love affair with gasoline and the automobile. Along the way, Yeomans offers a brief history of gasoline: where oil comes from, how the global crude oil market works, and how the price of oil is regulated and set. Illustrated with maps and graphics, Oil spotlights the companies involved in global oil production, considering their relationships with oil-rich countries and the power they wield in the global marketplace. Finally, the book explains why a continued dependence on oil will soon inhibit America's growth and become a liability to its economy, environment, and national security -- not to mention the security of hundreds of millions of others. - Publisher.