The Impoverishment of a Culture
The Arab and Muslim Rulers conspire to squash a
culture
The Impoverishment of a
Culture
By Mike
Smith
I knew that Islam was holding
back economic development of it's
followers,
but I had no idea how bad it was.
That one number says that is just about
every
possible technology they are behind all 1st world countries,
(almost?)
all second world countries, and
pretty much the bulk of all 3rd
world
countries!
Just
the idea that they are more backward than India, China, South
Africa,
heck, maybe even Kenya... That would
tend to explain the hopelessness
and
"oppressed" feelings... The idea that
they need to buckle down for a
generation or
two and go to school (studying engineering, not the Koran)
and
build a material world is one they
reject, and with that rejection
they
guarantee the cycle of
despair.
s
Side
Bar: The Arab and muslim worlds are busy making a giant baby
boom.
God told them to be fuity and multiply
and they are determined to do it.
Besides,
with most of the world oil, they can afford it, right? Wrong!
The
different countries "run dry" at
different times (and different price
points)
but even Saudi Arabia is only projected at a 50 year lifespan
for
the "easy oil". Some countries, like
Libya, have a 10 to 15 year economic
span -
then it's dried up to the point of minimal economic
gain.
So what happens then? Think
about it... A world of states, like Libya,
that
have bought a generation of prosperity
for all citizens by selling one
thing, and
that thing is gone. They have no skills, and no industry.
And
no way to grow the food they
need.
You can even see this starting in
Saudi Arabia. The "average" Saudi used
to
get about the equivalent of $50,000 or so
a year as their share of the oil
take. It's
now down to $18,000 / year and they are pissed. The
money
coming in is about the same, but it's
split more ways thanks to a doubling
or so of
population. And that's not all. Most muslim oil counties are
very
young (something like 75% of Iran is
under 25? or so and don't remember the
Shah)
so this will only get worse even if not a single added child
is
born...
So
exactly how will folks cope when they don't have enough cash to buy
a
house, car, food, etc.? When the oil left
in the ground is just enough to
run their
economy, not to export? This will begin to happen in
our
lifetimes. Each country in turn, with
Saudi being last, Quatar and Kuwait
being
next to last, and countries like Nigeria and Libya being early in
the
list and Egypt somewhere in the
middle.
Think poverty ridden Palistine
mob scene on steroids...
FWIW, some
countries with very low populations, like Quatar and Kuwait
and
UAE, will likely do just fine. They have
solid investment plans to turn
their oil into
stock and bond holdings for a perpetual income fund.
Most
oil countries do not. Especially those
with large populations where the
politicians
have bought power with oil goodies to the masses... or
with
massive arms purchases ... Iran and Iraq
come to mind.
Posted: Thu - March 25, 2004 at 01:17 AM