When a country handles energy resources right, the whole economy benefits. You've got oil majors bringing cutting-edge technology, the government collecting solid tax and royalty revenue, locals landing well-paid jobs, plus service providers and suppliers making their own gains. It's a multiplier effect across the region.

Then there's what went wrong elsewhere. Seizing control of energy assets without the expertise or infrastructure to maintain them—that's how you burn it all down. Nationalization sounded good on paper, but mismanagement turned a valuable asset into a liability. The infrastructure crumbled, production tanked, and everyone from workers to local businesses got hit hard.