Iraqi Oil: A Potential Shift in Regional Dominance (2013)

Iraq is a conundrum. Its complexity can be understood by considering its location. It is a historically dynamic region situated on the Eurasian supercontinent at the junction of the Levant, Greater Persia, the Anatolian Peninsula and the Arabian Peninsula. This alone presents a wide range of social and political implications, which contribute to the materialization of a country that hosts divergent groups partitioned by religious and ethnic lines. Despite Iraq’s potential capacity of 12 million barrels per day (mb/d), it has only managed up to 3 mb/d since 1979. One of the underlying reasons for this underproduction is the recurrence of war in contemporary times, but a current shaky ...  more »

Water and Food Security in the Arabian Gulf (2013)

Growing populations and economies have led to an increase in water demand around the globe. However, there are large variations in the amounts of water available to nations and regions, and growing concern surrounding the uncertainty associated with these supplies, due in large part to natural and human impacts on the water cycle.The need for alternative sources of fresh water has also been aggravated by the large influx of guest workers and significant improvements in the quality of life among Gulf populations. Therefore supplies are augmented by alternative sources—mainly desalinization, which meets most of the needs of these countries. However, this comes at a great financial ... more »