Political, Economic and Demographic Pressures on Middle Eastern Energy Production and Exports

Internal political and economic instability pose problems and uncertainties as great as those affecting military security. The MENA region has many regimes that have an uncertain ability to govern, internal religious and ethnic tensions, succession problems, and semiauthoritarian characteristics or lack a stable popular base. Most regimes need political reform and to develop more pluralistic and representative governments that serve the nation, not the ruling class. The rule of law needs to be strengthened, both in terms of human rights and the protection of property and basic civil and economic operations. In practice, this means that the political structure and internal stability of every MENA energy exporter must be the subject of constant review. This is particularly true in view of the threat posed by Islamic extremism and terrorism.