Predicting the Oil Wars
This is a very unusual adventure, particularly looking at it now from 2010. I first read it in primary school and it was one of my favourites due to the antics of the Thompson Twins, particularly how they seem to stumble through the desert mistaking mirages for real places and real places for mirages. Obviously the climax of their ineptitude (other than falling a sleep and smashing through the wall of a mosque and kicking some praying Muslims in the behind) is when they mistake some tablets for aspirin, eat them, and suddenly find that their hair is growing out of control (though to give them the benefit of the doubt these tablets were disguised as aspirin).
This adventure is all about oil and control of it. Back in the 1950s it did not seem that having control over the oil was as huge as it is now. However, over the past 20 years wars over control of oil resources have gradually been ramped up. While we will immediately think of Iraq, we must also remember that wars in Chechenya have also been fought for control over oil wealth. Many have written books on how the wars in the coming decades are all going to be over the control of this resource.
It is no surprise that Herge suggests that our civilisation is run on oil. Right from the beginning, where oil has become very volatile, it is clear that there is a crisis. If oil has become volatile to the point that it will explode,then society is going to ground to a halt. In this adventure the European airfleet has been grounded due to the possibility of a mid-air explosion. As such Tintin and the Thompson Twins head off to a country on the Arabian Peninsula to investigate the source of the problems.
Once again, the adventure is all about control of oil and while no names are mentioned specifically it is clear that the fight is between two superpowers over control of this resource. There is an oil company, operating out of Western Europe, that has a deal with the Emir to purchase his oil, however the contract is up for renewal and a rival company, based in a rival country (I suspect it is supposed to be the USSR, but it is not mentioned in the book) seeks to gain that contract. What that means is that this oil rich nation will be tied down to an enemy of the West, and thus the price of oil will no doubt skyrocket.
Herge was incredibly forward looking with this particular story. The oil crisis did not truly begin until the 1970s, however this book was written in 1950, and not only is it dealing with the control of oil but also the clouds of war that are hovering over the world. Remember, this is 1950 and it was still believed, even if naively, that the worst of our wars was over: however it wasn't. By this time the Iron Curtain had come down, and tensions were mounting between the Russia and the West. Yet, at this time, the West could not afford a war with Russia and it is believed that if the Russians had made their move here they could have easily walked all over Western Europe – it would have been a re-enactment of World War II. However the thing that was stopping them was that America had the bomb and could have started nuking Russian cities (and the Russians would have had difficulty retaliating). However Herge was obviously suggesting here that while the war was over, it was not necessarily finished for good, and as long as oil is in the ground, under the control of despotic governments, then the spectre of war will always been lurking.
