Book review: Tusiani, Michael D., and Anne-Marie Johnson. From Black Gold to Frozen Gas: How Qatar Became an Energy Superpower. New York: Columbia University Press, 2023

Abstract

Michael D. Tusiani and Anne-Marie Johnson investigate the story of Qatari wealth, which was primarily derived from oil and gas. With the rise of the importance of gas, from just 2 million metric tons of global demand in 1970 to 357 million metric tons in 2020, Qatar, as a supplier of 25 percent of all demand, increased its footprint in international affairs. In fifteen chapters, an introduction, and epilogue, the authors survey Qatari political history from independence to many coups, all revolving around the story of natural resources – mainly oil and later gas. Both Michael D. Tusiani and Anne-Marie Johnson worked in the oil and gas industry. While Tusiani worked for a consulting firm and has authored five books on energy, Johnson is a journalist who has been extensively writing on gas and oil and was later invited to join the consulting firm that Tusiani works for.