One More Trigger for Region-wide Violence

Submitted by Jim Wherry (United States), May 9, 2015 at 13:19

Like it as not, the West is taking aggressive steps to reduce CO2 emissions, while dramatically increasing its own oil production through fracking and expanded drilling. This will inevitably cause the price of crude oil to plummet, undermining even the wealthiest of middle eastern nations.

What those nations should be doing is moving from an oil-based economy to an industrial economy, however there are not enough trained engineers and scientists to support a manufacturing base and the region remains mired in chaos. Money that should go to solve water problems is going instead for weapons.

I served in Djibouti with the U.S. Army in 2012. Djibouti's problems are disastrous, but there are solutions that could be implemented, including infrastructure to capture what little rain water that country gets. Desalination seems the logical choice. Its high energy demands could easily be met through solar power and wind power which Djibouti has in abundance. Priorities, however, include the new palace.

Poverty from the reduction in the price of oil and oil exports together with the need for water will send populations on the move. They will also feed religious extremism: desperate people turn to those who claim they have answers.

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