6 ms·
I'm sure the fact that the Middle East sits on the world's largest deposits of cheap-to-extract high-EROEI and therefore maximally profitable oil has absolutely
by api 11y ago
I'm sure the fact that the Middle East sits on the world's largest deposits of cheap-to-extract high-EROEI and therefore maximally profitable oil has absolutely nothing to do with it. :)
The amount of oil in the ground in places like Canada might indeed rival the Middle East, but it's lower-EROEI more expensive oil. The amount of money in the ground is higher in the Middle East than anywhere else. Sub-Saharan Africa does have quite a bit of resource wealth but it doesn't have anywhere near as fat and juicy a prize as the ME does.
- mc32 11y agoSo how does that explain Yemen, or the troubles in the Philippines? Are they overflowing with rich resources? Contrast Mindanao with the rest of the PH.
- api 11y agoMy impression is that at least some of those are satellite conflicts driven by propaganda and actual groups from the Middle East like ISIS. Control of the Middle East and its oil wealth seems like the overall objective behind the various proxy armies and constant "regime change" in the region. I'm not sure why this is such a terribly controversial idea. You have trillions of dollars in assets sitting in the ground under a politically unstable region, so why is it so bizarre to suggest that people are fighting over it? There are people who will shoot you for your wallet, so what will they do for access to world-remaking levels of wealth?
- Phlarp 11y agoYou think middle eastern politics are the driving factors for unrest in the Philippines? Maybe we should start with remedial geography.
- Qwertious 11y agoHey, where do I sign up? None of my geography classes talked about middle-eastern politics or sources of unrest.
- Laforet 11y agoWhy not? Saudi money (not the Saudi government, but they are indirectly responsible) enables and sustains political Islam worldwide. Muslims in South East Asia have been practicising a pretty laid back version of Islam for centuries: No pork, no veils and mingling of opposite gender over a few bottles of booze may be looked down upon, but never a cardinal sin. All of this is changing for the worse because ME has been aggressively exporting their Medina theology for the last two or three decades[0]. [0]: http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/11/09/islam-is-a-religion-of-violence-ayaan-hirsi-ali-debate-islamic-state/ http://foreignpolicy.com/2015/11/09/islam-is-a-religion-of-v...
- jdc 11y agoNot the only factor, but the Saudis have funneled a great deal of oil money into spreading Wahhabism. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_propagation_of_conservative_Sunni_Islam#.22Petro-dollars.22 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_propagation_of_c...