ABSTRACT
In the world that developed following the end of the Second World War, nationalism emerged as the main force animating Afro-Asian and Latin American countries. This rising nationalism–as developed over the years–has had diverse manifestations, of which the political and economic aspects have had the most far-reaching effect on the development of international political and economic relations. Early attempts at cooperation among oil producing countries had begun as early as 1945. The first major manifestation of the new trend among the oil producers was the participation of Iran and Venezuela in the first Arab Oil Congress convened in Cairo in April 1959. By contrast, however, attitudes toward oil matters were developing in totally different directions within the oil producing countries. The new generation of indigenous oil experts that had emerged in these countries played a vital role in proposing alternative philosophies.
