Michael Klare raises some scary but realistic thoughts about a possible rise in revolts and riots — already happening revolts and riots in a number of places — if the current recession bites hard.
Problem area No. 1? Petrostates, of course. Gulf sheiks, West African dictators, and South American New Peronists all fell in love with $140/bbl oil last summer. Well, knock off a digit; it’s now $40/bbl. Klare spells out specific ways in which crimped spending in these countries could be problematic.
Problem area No. 2? Sub-Saharan Africa. Foreign aid from the developed world will be cut back, and, when oil prices start bouncing back up, probably won’t respond quickly enough. Certainly, special programs such as funding various projects to “green” this part of the world will get their funding cut.
Problem area No. 3? Spillover points, where these problems run along international borders, at times compounded with other problems. Think Kashmir and Iran/Iraq for starters. In other cases, it may be internal, as in Bolivia.
If you follow Peak Oil issues much, you know Klare. Read the whole article.
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