Geography in the Arab region Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Geography in the Arab region - Essay Example Though contested boundaries and territorial disputes are factors that are not solely typical to Middle East, these factors still assume an immense importance for the region in a strategic context because of the existence of immense petroleum and natural gas resources in this part of the world (Held 1). As per Michael T. Klare, almost 65 percent of the entire world’s unexploited petroleum wealth is located in this region (54). The magnitude of these oil reserves is expected to be approximately 673 billion barrels (Klare 55). So, it is both about money and political clout. Over time, the world is expected to get increasingly dependent on the Middle East oil reserves (Klare 57). As these oil reserves are expected to augment in value over time, many of the powers placed in this region may be tempted to develop hegemony over large tracts of this region through the use of military might (Klare 57). Some of the developed nations may resort to alternate methods to exercise influence o ver this oil wealth by forging alliances with the regional powers, which is readily feasible, considering the existence of multiple non-democratic and authoritarian regimes in the region (Klare 57). The long standing regional rivalries in the region are one more salient factor that has the potential to time and again jeopardize the regional stability. This refers to both Arab-Arab rivalries and the Arab-Israel rivalry. There exists little hope regarding the potential of the outside forces to help the regional enemies negotiate a way out, as most of the important external powers do have economic and strategic interests in the region. The United States tends to have vital economic interests in the region besides having related strategic interests like the survival of Israel and the withholding of regional energy reserves from the other competitive powers (Kemp & Harkavy 7).