Power Grab shows that controlling the means of production of oil and minerals determines the rise and fall of political leaders. Nationalization - seizing operations for the state - is a gamble: its immediate windfalls can fortify the foundations of enduring rule, or its operational costs can risk future prosperity and political survival.

1. The puzzle of extractive resource nationalization 2. The theory of political survival through nationalization 3. Defining and measuring operational nationalization 4. Why nationalize? Evidence from national oil companies around the world 5. NOCs, Oil Revenues, and Leadership survival 6. The dynamics of nationalization in Pahlavi Iran 7. Conclusions: The implications of nationalization Bibliography Index