I Swear, I'm Not Making This Up

[Lum]

Saudi Arabia demands compensation if wealthy countries reduce their oil consumption to combat global warming (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/business/energy-environment/14oil.html).

[Moore]

ahahahahahahahahahaha



no.

[Athryn]

Well, you know they need the money to keep the ski resort in Dubai (http://www.skidubai.com/) going!

ETA: I know Dubai isn't in Saudi Arabia, but it's the best example of oil-money excess I could think of.

[arctangent]

Poor old House of Saud. What will they do when the world is nuclear powered and electric vehicles are everywhere and no one needs their oil?

Die in the fucking desert, I hope.

[Unicorn McGriddle]

Dubai's not just thoughtless excess, though, it's a tourist industry being built specifically to serve as a revenue source once the oil market obsolesces.

Edit: Letting Arab countries "die in the desert" as the oil market is eradicated will leave neoliberals crying into their powerpoints about the non-integrating gap -- and Arabs seeing a Western hand in Middle Eastern poverty -- for decades more to come. Tacked onto all the other decades of that. Providing alternatives for the losers may upset you, but it's help them or live with their reaction to the pointed absence of help. I hate the Saudi royal family as much as anybody, but they're not the only people in Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia isn't the only nation relying on oil to keep the money flowing.

[Scrax]

http://i34.tinypic.com/t023j7.gif

[Enidigm]

While you have a point UM (though it could be applied, basically, to any 3rd world nation on earth) let's actually stop (or significantly reduce) using Saudi oil before we start paying them.

[Pogo]

Those dumb female-subjugating motherfuckers do know that their oil reserves are already not infinite, right?

[RSofaer]

Dubai's not just thoughtless excess, though, it's a tourist industry being built specifically to serve as a revenue source once the oil market obsolesces.

Edit: Letting Arab countries "die in the desert" as the oil market is eradicated will leave neoliberals crying into their powerpoints about the non-integrating gap -- and Arabs seeing a Western hand in Middle Eastern poverty -- for decades more to come. Tacked onto all the other decades of that. Providing alternatives for the losers may upset you, but it's help them or live with their reaction to the pointed absence of help. I hate the Saudi royal family as much as anybody, but they're not the only people in Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia isn't the only nation relying on oil to keep the money flowing.

You can't fix a poverty gap through exploitation of natural resources unless the country is already democratic before exploitation begins. Otherwise the money goes into repression, rather than public goods.

[Shadarr]

Saudi Arabia demands compensation if wealthy countries reduce their oil consumption to combat global warming (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/14/business/energy-environment/14oil.html).

Ah, the RIAA strategy.

[Unicorn McGriddle]

Those dumb female-subjugating motherfuckers do know that their oil reserves are already not infinite, right?

That's why they're making plans for the end of big oil, you dumb knife-carrying motherfucker.

You can't fix a poverty gap through exploitation of natural resources unless the country is already democratic before exploitation begins. Otherwise the money goes into repression, rather than public goods.

That's often true of democratic countries too. But letting them "die in the desert" is guaranteed to be just as bad or worse.

[playingwithknives]

Without oil, they will turn to their only other export industry, Wahabbism and Jihad, so I guess a solution should be found. Though having said that, I have more empathy for cockroaches and sewer rats than I do for the Saudis, and wouldn't shed a tear if they ended up as a small population of desert nomads again.

[Raife]

That's pretty awesome, Lum.

[Nellie]

[edit]being silly.

[arctangent]

Dubai's not just thoughtless excess, though, it's a tourist industry being built specifically to serve as a revenue source once the oil market obsolesces.

Edit: Letting Arab countries "die in the desert" as the oil market is eradicated will leave neoliberals crying into their powerpoints about the non-integrating gap -- and Arabs seeing a Western hand in Middle Eastern poverty -- for decades more to come. Tacked onto all the other decades of that. Providing alternatives for the losers may upset you, but it's help them or live with their reaction to the pointed absence of help. I hate the Saudi royal family as much as anybody, but they're not the only people in Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabia isn't the only nation relying on oil to keep the money flowing.

Did I say anything about anyone other than the House of Saud? I did not. And just to be clear, the assholes that run the "royal family" should be drawn and quartered and their heads stuck on poles as a warning to others, their lands and camels and bank accounts distributed among the people of their former kingdom and the name of Saud reviled forever, amen.

[antifood]

They should invest in solar panels.

[Slainte Mhath]

$115 billion? Pfffttt...we spend more than that to bail out insurance companies all the time!

Seriously though, I get that they are worried about the trend toward global reduction in fossil fuel depenancy playing havoc with their economies. They want to look at alternative means of supporting themselves when the demand for oil (or the supply of oil) starts to run dry. The time to do that would have been 30 years ago though, so why the hell should anyone else have to bail their sorry asses out now because they were too busy the last 30 years building golden castles in the sand to worry about what would happen when the money stopped flowing in?

[Jason McCullough]

The complaints are ludicrous. They have plenty of cash and time to turn themselves into a normal first world country instead of a resource kleptocracy where guest workers do everything.

[zengonzo]

Yeah, but how cool would it be to hold onto that cash and get other people to foot the bill for the next commodity to sell back to them?

They've learned so much from us - brings a tear to my eye.

[Bahimiron]

They should shut out American peanut butter (and mayonnaise interests), make peanut butter and mayonnaise (and ranch dressing) themselves and make millions selling peanut butter, mayonnaise and ranch dressing (and popcorn) to one another.

[wisefool]

Is this some sort of veiled thread saying when the incomes drop say, 50%, the growing population and ensuing unrest could ensure they cannot continue to deliver fossil fuels to our economy?

[Janster]

Apperantly one of their princes just bought Liverpool, maybe that will keep them warm at night.
Might wanna mention too this is what happens when you got morons running a nation, its strange its people don't kick them out of their seats, but I guess all the military hardware they have bought keeps them in their places.

[metta]

My Grandfather rode a camel.
My Father drove a car.
I fly in a jet.
My son will ride a camel.

-Saudi proverb

[shift6]

Apperantly one of their princes just bought Liverpool, maybe that will keep them warm at night.
Might wanna mention too this is what happens when you got morons running a nation, its strange its people don't kick them out of their seats, but I guess all the military hardware they have bought keeps them in their places.
Yeah, those dumb-ass Saudis just need to vote smarter next time.

[Nathan Phoenix]

So, uh, why can't they just take some of the massive money hats they are raking in now and use THAT money toward developing alternative economic ideas?

[WarrenM]

So, uh, why can't they just take some of the massive money hats they are raking in now and use THAT money toward developing alternative economic ideas?
That diamond coated, solid gold BMW isn't going to pay for itself, dumbass.

[Kareem]

You guys realize Dubai has no oil, right?

[Athryn]

You guys realize Dubai has no oil, right?

Yes, that's why I appended my original message, like I said it was the most obvious sign of middle-eastern excess I could think of. They are probably the best example of a country that had an economy built on oil that is transitioning to an alternate means of making money (financial, tourism, etc.)

I don't think it would be nearly as successful as it is if it were not where it was, though. Oil production may be less than 2% of their GDP now, but they make their money by being the place all the other people with oil go to put their money and buy their gold plated BMWs.

[Mordrak]

You guys realize Dubai has no oil, right?

Not elsewhere in the UAE? Where did the funds come from for the initial development?

Kareem should tell the US government (http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/UAE/Oil.html) and OGJ.


According to Oil & Gas Journal(OGJ), the UAE’s proven oil reserves were 97.6 billion barrels as of January 1, 2007. Abu Dhabi leads the other emirates with 92.2 billion barrels followed by Dubai with 4 billion barrels, Sharjah with 1.5 billion barrels, and Ras al Khaimah with 500 million barrels. The UAE holds the fifth largest proven oil reserves in the region. UAE crude streams are expensive due to their light and sweet composite compared to other Middle Eastern producers. The API gravity ranges from 34 to 36.8 degrees in the Zakum field, to 40.4 degrees in Murban.

[Unicorn McGriddle]

Did I say anything about anyone other than the House of Saud? I did not. And just to be clear, the assholes that run the "royal family" should be drawn and quartered and their heads stuck on poles as a warning to others, their lands and camels and bank accounts distributed among the people of their former kingdom and the name of Saud reviled forever, amen.

We should invade their countries, kill their leaders and convert them to Christianity.

[Kareem]

Not elsewhere in the UAE? Where did the funds come from for the initial development?

Kareem should tell the US government (http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/UAE/Oil.html) and OGJ.

Well over 90% of the city's income has nothing to do with oil. Its exports are far behind those of the capital, Abu Dhabi, as shown by the blurb you quoted.

[Kareem]

Yes, that's why I appended my original message, like I said it was the most obvious sign of middle-eastern excess I could think of. They are probably the best example of a country that had an economy built on oil that is transitioning to an alternate means of making money (financial, tourism, etc.)

I don't think it would be nearly as successful as it is if it were not where it was, though. Oil production may be less than 2% of their GDP now, but they make their money by being the place all the other people with oil go to put their money and buy their gold plated BMWs.

Oh you're right, I'm just saying you don't oil-fueled orgies to reach the height of excess - just a good old, euphoric real estate bubble.

[Kareem]

By the way, not defending Saudi Arabia's demands or anything, but I think anyone would be freaked out if their GDP swung by 30% every year because of huge variations in oil windfall.

[Brad Grenz]

Not elsewhere in the UAE? Where did the funds come from for the initial development?

Dubai's money comes from their shipping empire, for the most part.

[Lum]

By the way, not defending Saudi Arabia's demands or anything, but I think anyone would be freaked out if their GDP swung by 30% every year because of huge variations in oil windfall.

Maybe they should have done what the UAE did and invest their income windfall in a diversified economy instead of funding wretched excess, economic blackmail, and global jihad.

[Kareem]

Maybe they should have done what the UAE did and invest their income windfall in a diversified economy instead of funding wretched excess, economic blackmail, and global jihad.

Yup, they should have, but they suck. Just saying that I can see why they're freaked out.