OCT 19 THE ARABIAN PENINSULA HAS WEALTH DISTRIBUTION ISSUES

OCT 19  THE ARABIAN PENINSULA IS A MESS

These days, it's hard to read any news website without coming across an item involving the Arabian Peninsula. From the kidnapped journalist in Saudi custody to the civilian deaths in the Yemeni Civil War to the Kardashians partying in Dubai...something happening in this land mass will be in the world's headlines. This is a recent development.  A century ago, no one cared about Arabia. The region was a forgotten piece of the dying Ottoman Empire. What changed?

Petroleum! After the Great War, the world's insatiable appetite for oil would transform the Arabian Peninsula. Well...not exactly the entire region. See, places that were blessed with petroleum reserves look different today. Instead of barren desert, the land is now covered with luxury townhouses, Prada boutiques and trendy nightclubs. The places that were NOT blessed with oil fields look the same as they did a hundred years ago: Impoverished villages with no schools or clean water. Let's examine two very different Arabian nations.

In Yemen, the per capita income is a mere $449 a year...the ninth poorest nation on earth, clocking in just below Afghanistan. You'd better not get sick in Yemen. There are only three doctors for every 10,000 people. Better not get thirsty in Yemen either. Over half of the nation's 28 million people do not have access to clean water. Better not talk politics either. As the current Civil War enters its fourth year, Yemen remains divided between three powers: The capital is in a Saudi controlled area, the coast is ruled by Iranian loyalists and ISIS oversees the land in between. Yikes!

Now let's look at Qatar. It leads all nations in per-capita income at a staggering $124,000 average. That's twice the amount Americans earn! No one lives below the poverty line. Unemployment is under 1%. There are no taxes. See what owning the world's largest natural gas reserve will do for a nation! Yet one can't wonder if Qataris have gone too far. Of the three million people who live there, only 300,000 are Qatari. The remaining 2.6 million are all guest-workers from other nations. Odd...

What makes the Arabian Peninsula such a mess? After all, Yemenis, Saudis and Qatari are all united by language (Arabic) and religion (Islam). Yet despite these enormous similarities, one trait trumps them all: One's clan. Being a Wahhabi supersedes being a Saudi. Being a Hashid is more important than being a citizen of Yemen. A hundred years ago, in his benevolent effort to unite the Arabian Peninsula into one nation, T.E. Lawrence discovered this fault. Sadly, it's still present in today's Arabia...which  continues to result in the greatest wealth disparity of any place on earth.