What happens when the middle east runs out of oil?

Question

Most of those middle eastern economies are heavily supported by oil. So when we run out or stop depending on it completely, will those countries collapse?

Answer 1

When the oil runs out, Arabs will become goatherds again. I have spent considerable time in the Middle East (Saudi Arabia in particular). The Arab countries don't save any money at all. They spend it on extravagance. The King's Highway in Saudi Arabia goes for hundreds and hundreds of miles. The medians along the entire length of it are lined with trees and bushes. All of this foliage must be irrigated daily at enormous expense. That's just a tiny example, but it shows they have little concern over running out of money. When its gone, they'll crumble. The ones that haven't come up with an alternate source of revenue, anyway (Dubai, for instance).

As far as I'm concerned, it can't happen soon enough.

Answer 2

Well, that is why places like Dubai are trying to turn themselves into a tourist center. Once the oil is gone, or the supply is reduced, many are going to have to rely on other industries to survive. Other industries that many, quite frankly, don't have. For the purification water thing, many have already realized this, and have done drastic measures to insure that they are insulated against it. However, many attempts outside of the desalinization plants have failed, such as trying to literally bring an iceberg from Antarctica to themselves. Areas that do not have oil will for sure be able to survive. Israel and Lebanon don't have much, and rely more on their human resources than anything else. Egypt does too, able to make much off their tourism industry; however, they are also blessed with oil. And, of course, Saudi Arabia has a lot being the country of Hajj. In the end, it will look more like that, when oil is gone, the divide between rich and poor will just widen, and there will be the rich ones, who made international investments and all, and many, many more destitute citizens. Dubai and other places like it might survive, since they built it up; however, given recent trends, that is speculative at best. Tourist traps like Egypt will depend more on tourism, but Israel will not be affected, since they continuously have to strive to find green energy and water purification and saving technologies since their neighbors hate them. If anything, it might allow Israel to ease up on protection, and focus much more time, energy, and money into water preservation and green energy.

Answer 3

It would be great if America could find other sources and not use Middle East oil. The Middle East will never run out of oil. I hope America will purchase oil from Norway !

Answer 4

when the middle east runs out of oil, the west will invade Afganista...oh, when the middle east runs out of oil the west will invade Iraq and....oh, when the middle east runs out of oil the west will set up a patsy situation say like, Russia invading the Ukraine and then it will use that as a justification so it can..oh..

Answer 5

the countries will colapse in on their selfs then theyll be some westeren flag burning blaming the west then theyll take a big step back 100 yr and plan attacks against the west so a bit like afghanistan and iran but across the whole off middle east except itll be less well paid and the prizes of a ak47 will drop

Answer 6

Supply and demand will kick n long before that happens. As their oil production drops, they will raise their prices which will reduce demand.

Gas in the US will get to $20 a gallon and we will not need Al Gore or anyone else to tell us that the SUV stays in the garage.

Answer 7

To quote Matt Damon in Syriana:

"100 years ago you people were living in tents and chopping each others heads off and that is exactly where you will be in another hundred years."

Edit: They will never run out, though. Al Gore will have us all riding bikes long before that happens. It will, however, have the same effect on their economies.

Answer 8

You are going to see lots of starvation, famines, anarchy and a collapse of the global economy. It will happen here too.

Answer 9

Those governments will be overthrown. The Western economy will suffer immensely.

Answer 10

No, companies developing more slowly will still need the oil.