Comparing the Maps

The map on page 840 indicates the major oil producing areas as Iraq, Kuwait, and around Qatar. The topographical map of the MENA region indicates such regions as being "green", except for Iraq which is on the outskirts of the green and heading towards brown. This means that Kuwait and Qatar are indicated as very fertile areas, which corresponds with producing lots of oil. However, Iraq is much less fertile and is still a major producer of oil. The wealthier people in the Middle East live in these areas, for their money comes from producing oil. However, a large portion of the remainder of the Middle East are of the poorest countries in the world. 

Afghanistan - oil

When you first locate Afghanistan on the map, immediately you see that there are no bodies of water surrounding Afghanistan nor are they a major producer of oil. Afghanistan is land locked. Since Afghanistan is not able to thrive off of those two major Middle East money makers, they have resorted to their own natural resource, poppies. Poppies are very lucrative because they are able to be converted into Heroine and Opium. Also, the profits from the poppies are used to support the Taliban. As we have seen, the Taliban is pro-violence, war and fighting and not something the United States supports. Sadly, Afghanistan is not the only land locked country, there are many other countries in the Middle East that are land locked, and not oil producers. I hope they can find other ways to support their population other than the drug trade. 

Battle for Control

Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait are all very small countries located in the major oil-producing areas. These oil-producing areas also coincide with the green part of the topographical map, meaning near sea level and less desert. Why are these countries so tightly packed around one area? This area is what we might call prime real-estate. Pakistan might have a bigger land area then the United Arab of Emirates, but this does not affect its income per capita. All you need is a little land on this prime real- estate and your good to go. The income per capita of the UAE is many times more than that of Pakistan. One might think that more land equals more resourses, which will equal more income. The UAE doesn't need more desert land to become more powerful.

Allies Among the Middle East

It is interesting to note which of the countries the United States is allies with and how they relate geographically to the rest of the Middle East. The Unites States' allies are either greatly involved in producing the oil that we need, like Saudi Arabia, or they seem to be on the outskirts of the Middle East. For example, Turkey and Israel are on the edge of what is classified as the Middle East and it seems as though they are on the edge of the politics of the area as well; almost as if they are being pushed out. Israel, as we well know, obviously does not have good relations with much of the Middle East and if you compare it geographically, it is about as far west as you can get in the Middle East. Turkey also does not seem to belong anywhere. Europe rejected it, and the Turks were not comfortable with the military power of the rest of the Middle East, so it seems to fall into the pattern of the United States' allies. If you're not in agreement with the rest of the Middle East, the United States will take you in it appears.

Oil Trends

Arab factions + oil+ islam= the worst combination we've seen since George W. Bush decided to add his name into the equation and see where it lead us. There are two separate oil trends in regard to the map in our textbooks on page 840. Out of all 3 oil rich regions, two have had either significant ongoing or past conflicts that involved the United States of America. Kuwait and Iraq, both boasting western intervention, have endured a combined 3 wars in the last decade or so. Only Qatar and The U.A.E. stand firmly unaffected by any form of physical conflict. And while taking a peek at surrounding countries, one can learn a thing or two about the dynamic of the middle east: some countries have oil, others don't. Qatar and The United Arab Emirates are protected geographically by the imposing forces of Iran, Pakistan, and Afghanistan through a Persian Gulf buffer that only leaves Saudi Arabia as a primary neighbor; yet no surprise here- Saudi is the U.S's greatest ally in the Middle East. Iraq and Kuwait, however are left out in the open for inevitable ethnic and religious tension. And that is mainly, the ruinous disease of the middle east, where oil is the incentive for warfare and theocratic governments who virtually condone the terrorism that is inflicted upon oil rich countries and their western connections. While at the same time, America is willing to devote themselves to the protection of oil and its development. We aren't there to foster a new nation, just foster the guarantee of a stable economy back home. So what a surprise, most nations in the middle east see though our attempt to implement democracy, and are bitter about the advantages we provide to certain nations. We can only expect the highest degree of anti-western mentalities that derive from our specialized foreign oil policies. So until we discover some alteratives, we might as well prepare for most of the same.

The Deadly Seas - the Role of Water in Middle Eastern Conflict

Like Jackson, I found that the countries that were surrounded by water and had oil were the ones plagued with conflicts. But, I also found that even countries without oil that were along the water were also areas of turmoil. For example, Israel, which borders the Mediterranean Sea and has a corner that just touches the Gulf of Aqaba, which leads to the Red Sea, has been an area of conflict since its formation. Of course, one of the main causes of conflict has been the fact that Israel was formed in an area where Jews only made up 1/3 of the population. This caused a conflict because the Palestinians, the other people, were now being forced to live under a Jewish rule. But, part of the conflict probably also arose because Israel has direct access to the Mediterranean Sea. Even with the advent of airplanes, ships and waterways are still the main way to transport goods, and Israel has access to a very important one; one that connects the Middle East to Europe. Because of this, they are allowed to regulate trade that passes through them and charge taxes. It is a great way for the nation to make money - quite possibly the most important thing to many in the world today. And, Israel does have a fairly strong economy (22nd highest GDP per capita and 2nd highest amount of start-up companies). While it would take a little more research to see if there is truly a correlation between their economy and their connection to the Mediterranean, it is clear that this access they have combined with their economic success could aggravate both the other countries surrounding it and the Palestinians, who could have had this land for themselves.

Oil !!!

As we can see from the map in our textbooks, the major oil-producing areas are surrounded by water in this case, the Persian Gulf and also the two major rivers in the Middle East (Tigris and Euphrates). Also from the topographical map we can see that the major oil-producing areas are where there is low altitude (near water). We can see why Iran was one of the richest countries in the Middle East as our textbook mentioned. It was a major oil-producing area. Yes, oil did lead to many conflicts and instability in the middle east, this instability usually came from outsiders who tried to take over the oil reserves. The money oil helped people in the middle east gain, lured many outsiders which led to increased conflicts within the middle east. Even internal invasions occurred in the middle east. In 1190 Kuwait was invaded by Iraq. How come? Perhaps because Kuwait is a major oil-producing area.