Domino Effect

Hey kids, don't try this at home!

First there was a populace uprising in Tunisia, and after they ousted their
bogeyman the Egyptians said "we'll take a crack at ours". Not much will
change in Egypt though, until the Army turns the reigns of power over to
the Egyptian people. Next stop was Bahrain, where the fight continues to
this day, and now the momentum of Arab emancipation has now swept into
Lybia, the first significant oil producing Arab nation to be involved in this
domino effect.
So with uprisings already being planned in other Arab states
the next questions become where, and when. Like when those clever Asian
students who get together and painstakingly arrange a gazzilion or so dominos
to tumble into a pretty pattern, there always seems to be a point when the
dominos actually escalate to a higher point only to tip over a Key domino at
the top of the platform, and set off an even bigger chain reaction of falling
dominos.
That 'Key' domino, I believe, in an Arab context, is
Saudi Arabia. The battle for the reigns of power in that country will make the
recent uprisings in neighboring countries seem like an 'Irish Jig'.

 What will happen to Oil dependent Western economies and the bankers who
profit generously, when the whole thing grinds to a halt in the wake of such a crisis.
The Saudis are the second largest exporter of Oil in the world next to Russia.
We currently have no alternative fuel available that can compensate for any
potential disruption to the already dwindling flow of Oil from the Arabian
peninsula. The showdown is inevitable, and now it's just a question of time.
The people of the Arab world are tired of living under the thumb of petty dictators
who sell the resources and labour of their countries on the cheap in exchange
for Western endorsement. Most of these countries will hopefully establish
progressive and democratic societies, however, in the case of the Saudi's,
because the stakes are so high, the extremism will probably be there to match
it.
Dirty CT    February 2011