America's Foreign Policy Practice Exam 2025 – Comprehensive All-in-One Guide to Mastering U.S. Foreign Policy!

The OPEC oil shocks of 1973 and 1979 were indeed primarily a response to U.S. support for Israel during conflicts, particularly the Yom Kippur War in 1973 and the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

In 1973, OPEC member states, motivated by their solidarity with Arab nations and the desire to punish countries that supported Israel during the Yom Kippur War, imposed an oil embargo against the United States and several other nations. This led to significant increases in oil prices and widespread economic consequences. The 1979 crisis followed the Iranian Revolution, which caused another sharp spike in oil prices due to fears of supply disruptions as Iran was a major oil producer.

This context illustrates how geopolitical actions, particularly U.S. foreign policy decisions regarding Israel, triggered these major oil shocks rather than factors like the U.S. withdrawal from Vietnam, domestic oil production increases, or sanctions against Middle Eastern countries, which did not directly provoke such a large-scale response from OPEC.