Cold War Oil Summit: Power, Resources, and Global Negotiation

Course Context

This assignment appears in the second half of my World History course, where students examine how global systems—rather than isolated nations—shape historical outcomes. Framed within the Cold War, the assignment shifts focus from ideology alone to the role of natural resources, particularly oil, in structuring power, conflict, and cooperation.

Assignment Overview

This capstone simulation invites students to step into historical roles and engage the Cold War through the lens of energy, negotiation, and global interdependence. Working in pairs, students assume positions such as government officials, diplomats, or corporate representatives and attempt to negotiate competing interests shaped by geography, resource control, and political pressure. Rather than asking what happened, this assignment asks students to confront how decisions were made—and what constraints shaped those decisions.

Learning Objectives

• Analyze how access to natural resources influences global power structures

• Evaluate the role of oil in shaping Cold War and post–Cold War policy

• Use primary sources to support strategic decision-making

• Understand negotiation as a historical process shaped by unequal power

• Reflect on the limits of control within complex global systems

Assignment Structure

1. Role Selection and Scenario

Students select from historically grounded negotiation pairings, such as:

• Iranian nationalist leadership and U.S. diplomats

• Oil-producing states and Western consumer nations

• Revolutionary governments and corporate or foreign actors

Each student adopts a specific role and prepares to represent that perspective.

2. Primary Source Integration

• Students locate and analyze a primary source their role would realistically use (e.g., speeches, policy documents, diplomatic statements).

The source is not used for summary, but as evidence to justify demands, positions, or resistance.

3. Negotiation Brief (1–1.5 pages)

Written from the assigned role, students address:

• What do you want most from this negotiation?

• What leverage do you have?

• What are you willing to offer or threaten?

• What happens if negotiations fail?

4. Negotiation Simulation

Students meet with their partner and attempt a negotiation.

Success is not required—engagement with competing interests and constraints is the focus.

5. Final Reflection

Students reflect on power, control, and global systems, considering questions such as:

• Who actually held power in the negotiation?

• How did oil shape global relationships?

• What limits did you encounter in your role?

Why This Assignment Matters

This assignment moves beyond traditional content delivery by placing students inside historical systems of power. By working with real constraints—resource dependency, political pressure, and unequal leverage—students begin to understand history not as a fixed narrative, but as a series of contested decisions with lasting global consequences.

Teaching Approach

This assignment reflects my broader teaching philosophy: history is most meaningful when students actively engage with the structures that shape human experience. Through role-play, primary source analysis, and reflection, students develop not only historical knowledge, but the ability to think critically about power, agency, and global interconnection.