Turning off the oil tap will be a welcome development to these Arab honor/shame societies because without the wealth of oil the technological advance into the region will be halted, and the political reality will have a chance to catch up with the economic reality at a more liesurely pace of social change.
The resource curse is well suited to the maintenance of the ruler's prestige in the honor/shame societies of the Middle East. The money comes from abroad and it buys technology from abroad that is installed by foreigners. All the benefits of the new projects redound to the prestige of the ruler who has the relations with the foreign powers and so can facilitate the introduction of Western largess seemingly for free. Where the projects fail, it can easily be blamed on the incompetence and corruption of the foreigners.
No comments:
Post a Comment