Despite its oil wealth, account for the instability of the Persian Gulf region

Simin B.

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Despite its oil wealth, account for the instability of the Persian Gulf region

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The Persian Gulf region is known for being a very important area in terms of geopolitics. It holds up to 57% of the world's crude oil reserves and produces 27% of the global oil.Useless to say how vital to the world energy supply this region is and how extreme the tensions generated by this situation are. However, despite its tremendous reserves, it seems like the Persian Gulf region is unable to engender economic growth and has been unstable for decades. How did such a situation occur? Why is there a discrepancy between the opportunities this region benefit from and its economic and political difficulties? First I will address the internal conflicts within this region which account for an important part for the instability of the Persian Gulf. Secondly, I will be interested in the role of the big powers getting involved in this region and worsening its instability. At last, I will try to show how oil itself plays an ambivalent role that is keeps these countries from developing.The different countries making up the Persian Gulf are constantly questioning each other's legitimacy, borders, and right to exploit natural resources. Many underlying conflicts take place in this region and even though wars are not that common – although much more than elsewhere in the world – oil plays a key role in this situation because some countries are completely deprived of oil whereas other countries are abundant with this resource, hence the numerous conflicts of interest.

Sommaire

Introduction.
The Gulf Region is unstable because of the multiple internal conflicts it endures.
1. In terms of geopolitics, the different powers across the region are trying to take over.
2. The religious conflicts play an underlying role in the political struggles at work in the Persian Gulf.
Gulf countries as preys to the super powers due to their natural resources.
1. Most nations are willing to push their own interests in this region.
2. The United States in particular leads a very interventionist policy.
Natural resources in the Persian Gulf preserve old structures instead of helping such economies.
1. Most of the Persian Gulf countries are touched by the 'touch disease'.
2. The wealth created by oil exports maintains the traditional political structures of these countries.
Conclusion.
Bibliography.

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Extraits

[...] The United States in particular leads a very interventionist policy The role of the United States in the Gulf region has to be studied on its own as it probably is one of the key issues. The United States leads indeed a very contradictory foreign policy thus maintaining instability. The motto of the USA is ironically to provide stability to this strategic region. In 1968 Great Britain “relinquished its security responsibilities “east of (Kenneth M. Pollack) making it supposedly necessary for the US to fill the gap. The US involvement followed different strategies which ended up making the Gulf even more unstable. Kenneth M. [...]

[...] The wealth brought by oil made these States dependent on the fluctuations of oil prices because they are unable to create any real and durable economic growth. During the last years of the precedent century, as the oil prices were dropping dramatically, most the Gulf countries experienced heavy economic problems, Saudi Arabia's oil incomes decreasing for instance by 40%. The wealth created by oil exports maintains the traditional political structures of these countries Generally speaking, most of the wealthiest Gulf countries grant their populations free access to water, oil and other goods thanks to the incomes generated by the exportation of oil. [...]

[...] Other examples of underlying religious conflicts could be found as most of the tensions in the Persian Gulf have at least a religious interpretation. Even the Iran Iraq war between 1980 and 1988 has been to a certain extent interpreted as a fight to free the Shia majority of Iraq oppressed by the regime of Saddam Hussain (in fact the Shias in Iraq turned out to defend their country but the arguments according to which Iran was freeing them did exist). [...]

[...] For example, Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1991 to take over its tremendous oil reserves, arguing that considering Kuwait's population, its wealth was phenomenally high in comparison to countries such as Iraq which have an important population to maintain. In a more general stance, there are tensions between the wealthiest monarchies such as Saudi Arabia or Dubai and the poorest States such as Yemen (although this country is not directly part of the Persian Gulf). For instance, Saudi Arabia is very concerned with Yemen because it is the only country of the surroundings whose population is likely to overtake hers. [...]

[...] Each stage of the recent history of the Gulf is marked by the US domination and its incoherent involvement. After favoring a coup against the Iranian Socialist prime minister Mossadegh in 1953 because it feared the Soviet influence, the USA supported dictatorships such as the one of the Shah and Saddam Hussain's because they seemed the most likely to preserve the American interests. During the Iran- Iraq war, the USA tended to balance its support between the two nations so that none of them could win the fight and more recently the USA invaded Iraq in an effort to the peace of Iraq and for the security of free nations” (George W Bush, November 2003). [...]

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