Chaos Does Not Lead to Democracy

Looking around the Middle East you can find turmoil and conflict almost everywhere you turn.

Morocco, Tunisia, Libya, Yemen, Bahrain, Jordan, Syria, Oman and Egypt have all been caught up in a fire storm of anti-government protests.  Some appear to be mostly peaceful, such as the pro-democracy movement in Egypt; and some are descending into bloody civil conflict, such as Libya.  The multiple revolutions unfolding in the Middle East are really just getting started.  Even in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the smell of revolution is in the air and on the Internet.  Organizers in the Kingdom are calling for “DAY OF RAGE.”  Saudi King Abdullah is so worried he recently announced $37 billion dollars in subsidies and giveaways.  That’s enough to pay everybody in Saudi Arabia around $1,500 each.  Some look at it as a bribe to encourage citizens not to protest.   (Click here to read more.)  If Saudi Arabia falls, war will surely follow. 

This changing of the guard across the Middle East will be much more impactful to the rest of the world than the fall of the Berlin Wall.  The main reason is oil.  The Middle East produces most of the world’s petroleum.  If supplies are curtailed and shipping lanes are cut, the world could plunge into economic ruin.