Monday, May 31, 2004
The Islamic Reformation
Saudi Arabia is trying to deal with Islamic extremists who want to force westerners out of Saudi Arabia, as well as charge exhorbitant fees to western powers for the right to consume Arab oil (not a terribly bright thing to do, as high prices tend to motivate people to find alternatives). Pakistan is facing a struggle between Sunnis and Shias that is almost incomprehensible to westerners because, save for Northern Ireland (which is more an ethnic thing than religion), such a situation hasn't happened since Catholics and Protestants rampaged across Europe creating new and innovative ways to kill each other. Also in Pakistan, extremist attempted to assassinate the woman responsible for recent changes to the curriculum in Pakistani schools that reduce the influence of fundamentalist Islam and the concept of holy war.
I find it interesting that Saudi Arabia relies on 6 million expatriates to support its oil industry (Saudi Arabia only has a population of 21 million, making the expat community 1/3rd of the total). Why is it that Saudi Arabia must rely on foreigners to run their businesses for them? Is it an indictment of a system that puts more emphasis on religious indoctrination than issues that matter to the health of modern economies? It's not just me asking these questions. Saudi Arabia, like Pakistan, is evaluating its curriculum to determine whether it emphasises the wrong things.
The Islamic world seems to be going through a reformation, and if the western equivalent is any guide, it is likely to be violent. Unfortunately, their's is taking place in a world with nuclear bombs and modern armaments. Likewise, certain elements are so angry at the west (and westerners) that they will do everything in their power to kill as many of them as possible (only one of the murdered expats in Khobar was an American, and the dead included a Swedish cook, so it's NOT just an anti-American thing).
If we didn't rely on oil, we might be able to ignore the turmoil of the middle east about as much as we ignore events in Africa. Heck, it took 1 million deaths in Rwanda before the west noticed the genocide taking place in the country. Granted, ignoring such horror is NOT a good thing, but I certainly don't like having to worry about whether the economy is going to tank because a "fear premium" is causing price inflation and slowing growth in the world economy.
On the other hand, there IS a good side to high gas prices. Yes, it CAN slow growth. On the other hand, the higher the price of gasoline, the more likely people will do things to reduce their consumption, leading to a reduction in our reliance on oil sourced from the middle east (as an aside, the number one source for oil imported by the United States is Canada. Saudi Arabia, however, is number two). Moreover, higher prices make alternative sources of power (not to mention alternative sources of oil) more economical.
Europe gets by on prices of gasoline that would make a cowboy choke on his chewing tobacco. They can handle those prices because they have lead to widespread mass transit systems and roads filled with the functional equivalent of gas-sipping clown cars.
Saudi Arabia is trying to deal with Islamic extremists who want to force westerners out of Saudi Arabia, as well as charge exhorbitant fees to western powers for the right to consume Arab oil (not a terribly bright thing to do, as high prices tend to motivate people to find alternatives). Pakistan is facing a struggle between Sunnis and Shias that is almost incomprehensible to westerners because, save for Northern Ireland (which is more an ethnic thing than religion), such a situation hasn't happened since Catholics and Protestants rampaged across Europe creating new and innovative ways to kill each other. Also in Pakistan, extremist attempted to assassinate the woman responsible for recent changes to the curriculum in Pakistani schools that reduce the influence of fundamentalist Islam and the concept of holy war.
I find it interesting that Saudi Arabia relies on 6 million expatriates to support its oil industry (Saudi Arabia only has a population of 21 million, making the expat community 1/3rd of the total). Why is it that Saudi Arabia must rely on foreigners to run their businesses for them? Is it an indictment of a system that puts more emphasis on religious indoctrination than issues that matter to the health of modern economies? It's not just me asking these questions. Saudi Arabia, like Pakistan, is evaluating its curriculum to determine whether it emphasises the wrong things.
The Islamic world seems to be going through a reformation, and if the western equivalent is any guide, it is likely to be violent. Unfortunately, their's is taking place in a world with nuclear bombs and modern armaments. Likewise, certain elements are so angry at the west (and westerners) that they will do everything in their power to kill as many of them as possible (only one of the murdered expats in Khobar was an American, and the dead included a Swedish cook, so it's NOT just an anti-American thing).
If we didn't rely on oil, we might be able to ignore the turmoil of the middle east about as much as we ignore events in Africa. Heck, it took 1 million deaths in Rwanda before the west noticed the genocide taking place in the country. Granted, ignoring such horror is NOT a good thing, but I certainly don't like having to worry about whether the economy is going to tank because a "fear premium" is causing price inflation and slowing growth in the world economy.
On the other hand, there IS a good side to high gas prices. Yes, it CAN slow growth. On the other hand, the higher the price of gasoline, the more likely people will do things to reduce their consumption, leading to a reduction in our reliance on oil sourced from the middle east (as an aside, the number one source for oil imported by the United States is Canada. Saudi Arabia, however, is number two). Moreover, higher prices make alternative sources of power (not to mention alternative sources of oil) more economical.
Europe gets by on prices of gasoline that would make a cowboy choke on his chewing tobacco. They can handle those prices because they have lead to widespread mass transit systems and roads filled with the functional equivalent of gas-sipping clown cars.
