Question

Summarize How have the natural resources of the Middle East affected it recent history?

Answer 1

Answer:

As the two most important resources in the region, water and oil have caused such conflicts. Oil is the most abundant resource in the Middle East, and many countries' economies are dependent on it. However, oil is not equally distributed between all countries.

Explanation:

Oil money has created both opportunities and problems for the region.

An empty filling station, Portland, Oregon, November 1973. The Arab oil embargo caused a huge shortage of gasoline in Western countries. [ enlarge ]

Middle Eastern nations have learned to manipulate their production of oil as an international strategy. After the unsuccessful Yom Kippur War with Israel in 1973, an OPEC oil embargo by Arab nations demonstrated a new way to influence European and American policy. Oil prices quadrupled from $3 a barrel in 1972 to $12 a barrel in 1974. In the U.S., the era of cheap gas came to an end, stimulating research on increasing energy efficiency, conservation, and alternative fuels as well as exploration for alternative sources of oil.

Uneven distribution of petroleum deposits has created a disparity of wealth and power in the Middle East. Gulf countries with relatively small populations have the most oil. When workers from countries with large, poor populations, such as Egypt, come to the Gulf region to work, they are often treated as second-class citizens. Meanwhile, wealthy Saudis and Kuwaitis may vacation in Egypt, openly drinking alcohol and displaying other behaviors that would not be permitted in their home countries. Even within oil-rich nations themselves, there is a large gap between rich and poor.