> At the other end is the Middle Eastern countries. Monarchs and despots have largely enriched themselves and their families at the expense of their country and

> At the other end is the Middle Eastern countries. Monarchs and despots have largely enriched themselves and their families at the expense of their country and their people. You might want to look into who propped up these monarchs and despots. If Norway wasn't a european nation, it too would have been toppled and destroyed by the US or european powers for their oil. > So it's sad to me that not only are people so easily manipulated through religion but also what a huge lost opportunity this was. Religion had nothing to do with it. It's geopolitics. Also, middle eastern nations have some of the largest sovereign wealth funds in the world. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_wealth_fund https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_wealth_fund > Now, Russia, Venezuela, Norway and the USA are huge producers The US and Russia are. Norway isn't ( not in total volume at least ). Venezuela could be but due to US sanctions they are not. Not to mention the US led regime change venezuela is about to experience which will once again destabilize and impoverish venezuela. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_oil_production https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_oil_produ... > Solar in particular will continue to bite into oil demand so long term Solar hasn't made much of a dent and won't make a dent anytime soon. Oil demand has increased while solar is just a tiny blip. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_consumption#/media/File:Bp_world_energy_consumption_2016.gif https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_energy_consumption#/medi...