Oil Boom in the Middle East

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At first sight, the viewer will notice the group of three men herding their camels in an environment which looks very hot and arid. By examining the three men more closely, the viewer will notice the style of clothing they are wearing. All three men in the picture are wearing some sort of head piece and a rob-like style of clothing which is similar to a dishdasha and a shalwar kameez that Muslim men wear. In the background of the picture, the viewer will notice a growing city with many infrastructures being built. There are also power lines going across the top of the picture as well all along the background near the city. The contrast between the old and the new is very evident in the picture; therefore, the viewer might conclude that the picture is saying that, regardless of modernizing the city, it still manages to keep the old traditions of the country intact. The city shown in the background of the photograph is Dubai, the second largest city in the state of United Arabs Emirates. However, one may be wondering, how a city came to be in that desert environment. The answer is in the natural resources the country has. The oil boom in the Middle East has led to great economic growth making some Arabian nations to become more westernized and industrialized. The economic and technological development since the twentieth century has been fuelled mainly by oil, just as the early industrial revolution of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries has been fuelled by coal. ...

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... casualties.” It is clear that the wealth that some Middle Eastern states have acquired from their oil has certainly not provided for economic or political development or security to the Middle East, thus it can be concluded that oil wealth cannot in any significant sense be considered a ‘blessing’.

Works Cited

“Exploring United Arab Emirates.” HubPages.com. HubPages Inc., accofranco. Web. 24 March 2012 “Has oil wealth been a blessing or a curse for the Middle East?”. Akerue.net. Ben West. Web. 27 Oct 2010. “Dubai Rides the Oil Boom”. USnews.com. Kevin Whitelaw. Web. 5 June 2008.

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