Originally released in a report from March of 2010, Byron King frames the future of the Middle East in terms of ideology. The intriguing aspect of Mr. King's report is that it was released nine months before the uprisings in Egypt. King suggests that the events in the Middle East are based on an Islamic divide between Sunni and Shia ideology. He also claims possessing Saudi Arabia is the end game and that Iran is pumping money into key areas surrounding Saudi Arabia in an attempt to choke off oil exports to the West.
In addition to framing future events in the Middle East, King recommends one company that is positioned to dominate an oil deposit recently found with the potential of 100 billion barrels of oil. A quick Google search reveals Petrobras, the Brazilian oil company. In related news, Petrobras was just given approval by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) to begin using a FPSO-type vessel platform (a ship that has on-board production and storage facilities) in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico; the first new deep water drilling permit to be issued since the BP oil spill.
Something else that sheds significant light on this Springs' events in the Middle East is the origins of the uprising in Egypt. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal there was a secret rally that sparked the Egyptian uprising. The organizers used YouTube and Facebook to advertise publicly the locations and times for several marches that were scheduled to take place on 25 of January. Familiar with the Egyptian army's ability to quickly shut down these types of protests, the organizers used hand bills and word of mouth networking to quietly organize an off the radar march that would take place at the same time. Of all the marches organized for that day this last group was the only one which made it to Tahrir Square. If you remember, most news outlets reported that the events of January 25 were completely spontaneous. However, if we consider both King's perspective and the article written days after the uprising, there appears to be something more than just Democracy afoot. Whatever the future in the Middle East holds, it is becoming clear that there is more to be written.
In addition to framing future events in the Middle East, King recommends one company that is positioned to dominate an oil deposit recently found with the potential of 100 billion barrels of oil. A quick Google search reveals Petrobras, the Brazilian oil company. In related news, Petrobras was just given approval by the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOEMRE) to begin using a FPSO-type vessel platform (a ship that has on-board production and storage facilities) in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico; the first new deep water drilling permit to be issued since the BP oil spill.
Something else that sheds significant light on this Springs' events in the Middle East is the origins of the uprising in Egypt. According to an article in the Wall Street Journal there was a secret rally that sparked the Egyptian uprising. The organizers used YouTube and Facebook to advertise publicly the locations and times for several marches that were scheduled to take place on 25 of January. Familiar with the Egyptian army's ability to quickly shut down these types of protests, the organizers used hand bills and word of mouth networking to quietly organize an off the radar march that would take place at the same time. Of all the marches organized for that day this last group was the only one which made it to Tahrir Square. If you remember, most news outlets reported that the events of January 25 were completely spontaneous. However, if we consider both King's perspective and the article written days after the uprising, there appears to be something more than just Democracy afoot. Whatever the future in the Middle East holds, it is becoming clear that there is more to be written.
[Update] Below is an automated map and time line for the 2011 Arab Spring. It's interesting to note the similarities on the Saudi Arabian peninsula from the map above.
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