In twenty to thirty years oil will be obsolete. Fossil fuels are too dirty. Autos powered by clean fuel cells will be the reality. As clean energy technologies develop in the next few decades, environmental lobbies in the West will eventually outlaw fossil fuels altogether, count on it. They'd do it today if they could.
Countries that depend on oil revenues for their existence are in for a rude awakening. Investment in alternative industries today is crucial to avoiding mass poverty in their futures. Modern agriculture, technology, manufacturing, tourism, are industries that need to be developed over time. The 21st century economy is evolving quickly, the longer a country waits, the harder it will be to be competitive. Infrastructure like telecommunications, and transportation etc. need to be invested in now before the oil money dries up. But instead this money is being wasted.
Throughout the Middle East, dictators support terrorism and foment hatred and anger toward Israel and the US to create Islamic fascist nationalism, which is used to keep their unethically regimes in power. But capital investment abhors instability. Who wants to start a business where a bunch of angry zealots are running around strapped to dynamite?
Today, the oil wealth of all Middle Easterners is being squandered right before their eyes while they're out in the streets protesting “The Great American Satan”. But America's buying the oil at fair market values; it's the dictators who are stealing the profits. The Palestinian/Israeli conflict should have been fairly settled decades ago, which America has unyieldingly advocated from day one, it's the dictators who pay the terrorists out of oil profits to perpetuate the war. Young Muslims are martyring themselves for an oil theft scam. All the while, the dictators themselves are living in staggering opulence.
Since Saddam Hussein took power, Iraq has generated untold billions of dollars in oil revenues. And what does it have to show for it: A huge pile of dead Iranians, a huge pile of dead Iraqis and a huge pile of ex-military scrap metal. Nothing else. That money could have been spent making Iraq an economic super power. But now Iraq has only a short 25-year window to invest and build a non-oil economy from scratch.
Iran's not much better. Its dictators are squandering their nation's wealth on nuclear weapons and expensive missiles. Any advancement in Iran's military strength will be met and then dwarfed by American technology and production, realistically it will probably remain that way for the rest of this century. If security were really a concern, Iran would be better off becoming a thriving prosperous democracy and joining NATO.
By 2030 the US presence in the Middle East will be gone with or without Bin Ladin. Nothing personal, its just business. The irony is by then the Arab States will be begging Americans to come back and spend their precious tourist dollars. But I don't think Americans will be clamoring to spend a week with a bunch of hypocritical hate mongers.
The war against Israel is a fraud, and anti-Americanism is a hypocritical tool to advance state sponsored fascism. It chases away capital investment at a time when it's needed most for the sole purpose of protecting the personal wealth of a hand full of tyrannical dictators.
I am amazed when I hear otherwise highly intelligent and caring Muslims regurgitate the usual hate-slogans fed to them by their oppressors to prop up ëthe regime'. Honorable Middle Easterners need to wake up, get their emotions under control and turn their anger away from Israel and the US and turn it towards the productive chore of overthrowing their dictators. Or at least be honest when you start bitching.
Go to the streets with your fist in the air and yell “I hate Israel because somebody told me to and I'm willing to condemn my children to a life of poverty to prove it. Long live my dictator!” Or how about “There can be no peace as long as Palestinians are willing to blow themselves up so Bashar al-Assad can keep his palace!” At least I can respect an honest man no matter how ridiculous his cause is.
The Middle East is politically 75 years behind the free world. It's reminiscent of Europe of the 1930s and shows no desire to grow up any time soon. Ironically by the time it does mature enough to begin to embrace democratic stability the spigots we be shutting off.
Hating America may be the current fashion but I don't see how it will pay any dividends in the future. But I do know that letting your dictators stay in power and steal all your money is just plain dumb..
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