The politics of regional economics (Halliday chapter 9, Owen chapter 7)

Résumé du document

In Halliday's text I distinguished three main points of interest, with respect to the interactions between politics and economy. His approach underlines that the Middle East crisis lies in the political economy is all the more interesting, since in France the mainstream popular view considers that Middle east difficulties come from culture (especially Islam) and the impact of western societies (promotion of underdevelopment, negative role of colonialism, neo-imperialism). Though Halliday gives some credit to these explanations, he emphasizes the fact that the crisis stems first of all from internal factors in Middle East societies and states.

Extraits

[...] The theory of Dutch disease developed by Corden&Neart in 1982 showed one of oil's negative aspects. It underlies that the exploitation of natural ressources goes along with a decline of manufacturing sector. While becoming rentier states, most of middle eastern countries kept on producing traditional goods, whithout promoting industrialisation. Oil revenues don't bring economic development, which fuel a growing resentment in the populations. Oil also increases tensions between the countries of the Middle East, especially between oil and non-oil producers. It creates a climat of suspicion, unsecurity (hence arms race). [...]

[...] It also attracts external states which try to secure their interests in the region Oil brings an economic of coercion (financial pressures, use for confrontation and strategic goals Last but not least, it makes the Middle East dependent on western states. Owen text shows that economic restructuring took differents paths in the Middle East depending on the countries. He distinguishes northern africa arab states, oil dependent arab countries and three non arab states (Turkey, israel, Iran). He shows that the process met more difficulties in oil producing states. Overall the change of the economic structures appears to be a highly political event. [...]

[...] The politics of regional economics (Halliday chapter Owen chapter In Halliday's text I distinguished three main points of interest, as to the interactions between politics and economy. His approach which underlies that Middle East crisis lays in political economy is all the more intersting since in France the mainstream popular view considers that Middle east difficulties come from culture (especially Islam) and impact of western societies (promotion of underdevelopment, negativ role of colonialism, neo-imperialism Even if Halliday gives some credit to these explanations, he emphasizes the fact that the crisis stems first of all from internal factors in Middle east societies and states. [...]

[...] Nonetheless Halliday underlines that the problem lays mainly in the structure of the states and its elites (which is linked to the issue of the regim type as seen above). In the oil monarchies the oil rent is misfully/wastefully used and goes for a large part to the ruling family which is accountable to nobody. The third point of interest is oil. Oil is the exception to the Middle East marginalization on the international stage (in 2000 the ME represented 30% of world output/65% of the reserves), but while a blessing for the elites it is a curse for the countries themselves. [...]