US energy strategy reshapes global markets to sustain hegemony amid China’s rise
Original framing: “US quietly plays the long game on energy dominance against China” — South China Morning Post
The US has weaponized energy since the 1970s oil shocks, using the petrodollar system to tie global trade to dollar-denominated contracts. The 1991 Gulf War and 2003 Iraq invasion were not just about oil but about reasserting dollar supremacy after the collapse of Bretton Woods. China’s rise has forced a recalibration, with the US now using LNG exports and financial tools (e.g., SWIFT sanctions) to disrupt rival supply chains.
The US-China energy rivalry is not merely a contest for resources but a clash of worldviews: one that treats energy as a weapon of control, another that frames it as a commons to be stewarded.
This dynamic echoes colonial histories where extraction was justified as 'civilization,' but today’s 'long game' is more insidious—it uses financialization and infrastructure to preempt resistance before it arises. Indigenous land defenders, Global South diplomats, and feminist economists offer the most potent antidotes: systems that prioritize reciprocity over accumulation, consent over coercion, and life over profit. The petrodollar’s grip, however, ensures that any shift must confront the entrenched power of Wall Street and Riyadh as much as Beijing. The path forward requires dismantling the illusion of neutrality in energy markets, recognizing that every pipeline laid is a future conflict sown—and every community that resists is a school of sovereignty in action.