Author: Michael L. Ross
September/October 2011
Foreign Affairs
No state with serious oil wealth has ever transformed into a democracy. Oil lets dictators buy off citizens, keep their finances secret, and spend wildly on arms. To prevent the "resource curse" from dashing the hopes of the Arab Spring, Washington should push for more transparent oil markets -- and curb its own oil addiction.
Subscribe to Foreign Affairs—the world's leading authority on foreign policy.
Facebook Twitter LinkedInWhat effect would the fall of the Assad regime have on U.S. policy towards Syria?
Reforming U.S. Drone Strike Policies
The author analyzes the potentially serious consequences, both at home and abroad, of a lightly overseen drone program and makes recommendations for improving its governance.
Ed Husain hosts Bernard Haykel in a discussion of the convergences and divergences in Gulf governments' policies toward the Arab Spring, both...
After decades of fueling hunger for oil in the United States, Europe, and China, Blake Clayton says that the Middle East itself has developed...
Steven A. Cook says, "This is a critical moment in Egypt's transition; Morsi and his colleagues would do well to recognize that, rescind the...
Reza Aslan says the question isn't whether Islam promotes democracy, but rather do Muslims promote democracy, remarking that there are some...
Print
Email
Share
Cite
