Natural+Resources

What role have natural resources played in the politics and economy of the Middle East? [|Natural resources article]


 * The Middle East has a great amount if natural resources. Petroleum fields dominate the area. It is very rich in natural gas, and water is a very important resource in the Middle East. In the 18th and19th centuries, superior military power allowed the European nations to create new markets for manufactured goods, and exploit natural resources of the African, American, and Asian continents. Europeans vied to control the Middle East, and the Sykes- Picot agreement divided the lands and allowed control over the natural resources, mainly oil. Also, the United States was developing and controlling oil reserves in the Middle East to supply their growing needs. In the 20th century British prospectors discovered oil in Iran and began the first- large scale drilling projects there. The Iranian government of Mohammed Mossadeq nationalized the Anglo-Iranian oil company in 1953, and the government as overthrown. Shah’s regime led to the Iranian revolution in 1979, and the Shah was overthrown and exiled.


 * When world war two was finished Britain and France gave up control over much of the Middle East. They could no longer afford to continue their imperialist strategies. They found standard oil of California first discovered in Saudi Arabia. There are huge deposits there and there neighboring Persian Gulf. Relations between the Saudi Arabia and us governments have traditionally remained strong. The presence of the armed services.


 * Oil prices quadrupled from 3.00 a barrel to 12.00 in two years. Uneven distribution of petroleum crested a disparity of power in the Middle East. The gulf countries that have small populations have the most oil.


 * Oil -will continue to be an important regional and global issue. In fact some questions whether one reason the US seeks to maintain influence in Afghanistan. Oil is a valuable resource that everyone wants.


 * Another resource of vital importance to the region is water. They say that the major tension between the states is the scarity. Which the Americans think the Middle East is mainly desert agriculture has been important for millenia, with farmers adapting to environmental conditions in different locations.


 * Economic boost for the Middle East because they hold the world’s majority of the oil supply.