How the oil booms affected the international relations of the Middle East
The discovery of vast oil reserves, its exploration, and exportation changed the economic, social, and political dynamics in the Middle East. Some nations have become wealthy, leading to the modernization of their economies. For example, the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) of countries such as Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, Qatar, among others grew exponentially during the mid-1980s (oil boom period). During the era, there was public investment in health, education, and infrastructure. Unemployment was low, in advanced industrial nations. A significant improvement in social indicators accompanied by rapid economic growth. It also witnessed significant improvements in infant mortality rates, school enrolments, improvement in literacy levels, and increases in life expectancy. At the same time, it has had a considerable impact on regional and international relationships.
Oil has led to numerous conflicts in the region because some oil fields straddle the boundaries of several states. For example, the cause of Iraq invading Kuwait in 1990 was to acquire oil fields in possession of Kuwait that it held were drawing oil from its wells. Although these challenges, countries in the region have accepted to use international arbitration to solve disputes. The Kuwait-Iraq disputes used this approach after the expulsion of Iraqi forces from Kuwait by the coalition supported by the United Nations. Oil makes it easy for Middle Eastern nations to negotiate on boundaries and accept the verdict of international arbitration. Although most countries start negotiating by adopting tough stances, they always seek for a speedy resolution of disputes. The culture led to the resolution conflicts involving Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Qatar, Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. As a result, accepting international arbitrations makes it’s the process of solving disputes and maintaining cohesion in the region.
Oil is a determinant of how the Middle East relates to the global powers such as the United States and before it the United Kingdom. For example, the relationship of global forces with the region revolves around the trade in oil. The United States and Saudi Arabia have a close working relationship with numerous questions about the human rights record of the latter. However, the US ignores these challenges because Saudi Arabia has oil reserves. In the past, Iran had close working relationships with Britain because the two nations had a close working relationship through Anglo-Iranian oil companies. Other countries in the region establish diplomatic relations with global partners, depending on the types of assets that they hold.
Oil has helped in the consolidation of Middle Eastern states. The presence of oil in the region has created a culture that favors centripetal rather than centrifugal forces. In countries with weak national bonds, the regional allegiance is strong. In most cases, no separatist movements are seeking to disengage from the region. It is not a common phenomenon in the rest of the world. In the absence of oil, nations such as Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UEA), and Qatar would not be independent nations. Thus, from the beginning, the countries were established because of the political needs to control the oil resources in the region. Oil has led to the consolidation of some states such as Saudi Arabia that would not have survived on taxing a sparse nomadic population and the income of Haji pilgrims. In some cases, it led to the emergence of independent states.