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I'd argue that these regions only became politically volatile because oil was found there.
by nwellnhof 3y ago
I'd argue that these regions only became politically volatile because oil was found there.
- namaria 3y agoThan we can rephrase original claim to: "oil leads to geopolitical instability because it's only found in economically viable deposits in very specific areas of the planet." This create strong asymmetries and strong incentives to project power.
- some_random 3y agoIt's not though, not in terms of oil production or reserves. Extractable resources can exacerbate instability by providing funding to warring groups and giving a reason for outside entities to interfere but none of this is even remotely set in stone. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_proven_oil_reserves https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_proven_oi...
- zilti 3y agoYes, I mean, just look at Norway! Or the USA! Or Saudi Arabia! All constantly on the brink of political collapse!
- brohee 3y agoSaudi Arabia had to crank up the execution rate quite a bit to keep opposition in check recently. That only can work so long. "Owning the wrong books, posting a critical tweet, speaking to a journalist or disagreeing with the Crown Prince can earn you a death sentence." (https://reprieve.org/uk/2024/01/02/saudi-arabia-executed-at-least-172-people-in-2023/ https://reprieve.org/uk/2024/01/02/saudi-arabia-executed-at-...)