AboutPierre-Alexandre De Bavay M.A. Expertise I can answer any question that deals with geopolitics, political stability and the role of big powers in the Middle East. My strongest background deals with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but I have a good knowledge of the region going from the Caucasus to Egypt, the Arabic Peninsula and Central Asia. Even if your question does not directly deal with this, I will try to answer it anyway.
Experience I worked for the Center for American Studies in Brussels and for the European Institute for International Relations as political analyst.
Organizations CAS, EIIR
Education/Credentials BA Political Science
MA International Relations
MA American Studies
It is well known the middle eastern nations like Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq and others depend heavily on the Oil export business.
What would be the total impact to the Middle East and economies around the globe if industrialized nations like the USA and China were able to achieve energy independence and significantly reduce oil imports?
Answer Hi Tim,
Interesting question! The impact of such an event is difficult to measure because all the countries you named do not rely in the same way on oil exportation. And at the same time, we do not know at the moment to what extent western countries could cease to use oil in industry and transport. On the other hand, the profit generated by the oil business throughout the years has probabely been used for investment in other sectors such as banking. Hope this helps...
