John Perkins has written extensively on this topic, as he has had a career conducting 2 and 3 for the US. His book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is instructive.

https://www.amazon.com/New-Confessions-Economic-Hit-Man/dp/1...

The US Dollar reserve currency/petro dollar is the biggest weapon in the US arsenal, and the US has by far the largest army on the planet to enforce with https://www.amazon.com/New-Confessions-Economic-Hit-Man/dp/1...

Thanks for the heads up. I read the original in college and it was very interesting, although I thought it was a bit embellished.

http://www.amazon.com/New-Confessions-Economic-Hit-Man/dp/16...