The Middle East takes great pride in its oil production, and sometimes dictators overstep boundaries in order to claim that oil for themselves, as Saddam Hussein of Iraq attempted to do to Kuwait in 1991.

Kuwait is a particularly extreme example of cheap oil for all within the borders of Kuwait. This small nation just next to the Arabian Peninsula has massive reserves of oil beneath its sands. Oil merchants could potentially make great profits from selling gasoline at market prices in the Middle East and Kuwait, but the overwhelming attitude of oil is that it should be extremely cheap and plentiful always, so oil merchants do not even attempt to exploit the local population with higher gas prices.

When Iraq attempted to invade Kuwait, a tiny neighbor by comparison, it was seen as vital to American interests to maintain a strong bond with Kuwait, as Saddam Hussein had been...
[ View Full Essay]