“Even if America tomorrow - and it won't happen overnight - but if we did reduce our demand for gas and natural gas and crude oil by a significant degree, that does have an exponential effect on producers in the Middle East, everything else being equal. But if China's demand is growing and India's demand is growing, they are not going back.” IfsDoeHappensAmericaNaturalGrowingMiddleEffectsTomorrowDemandEqualDegreesIndiaChinaOilEastSignificantProducersGasMiddle EastCrudeNatural GasBeing EqualCrude Oil Author:Thomas Friedman
“What is the most entrepreneurial country in the Middle East today? It's Lebanon. Which country has no oil or gas? Lebanon. The same was true of Israel, the same was of Bahrain. You could see a real gradation. Turkey, for instance: no oil and gas, very entrepreneurial. You can either dig your future out of the ground or you can unlock the potential of your people.” PeopleRealCountryTodayMiddleIsraelOilEastInstanceGasOur FutureMiddle EastTurkeysYour FutureEntrepreneurialLebanonOil And GasBahrain Author:Thomas Friedman
“To me the smart thing that governments in the Middle East would be doing right now is taking their oil and gas fountain - and the smartest ones are to some degree - and making sure they're investing in their people to unlock their potential - men and women.” PeopleMenGovernmentWould BeMiddleRight NowDegreesSmartMen And WomenInvestingOilEastGasMiddle EastFountainDoing RightOil And Gas Author:Thomas Friedman
“Oil is a tangible commodity, so there is a global market. The fact that we may need less may affect the global price because we're big consumers: we probably take about a quarter of global demand. But if suddenly, let's just use a crazy example, fighting in the Middle East led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and no oil could get out through the Strait of Hormuz, well that would affect China, India, Europe, it will affect the whole global economy. It will affect us, too, then.” IfsNeedsWellsMayWholeFactsUseBigsFightingEconomyCrazyMiddleExampleDemandEuropeIndiaChinaOilEastConsumersQuartersMiddle EastCommodityTangibleClosureGlobal Economy Author:Thomas Friedman
“America is interested in change and reform in the Middle East but in a stable way.” WayAmericaMiddleEastReformMiddle EastStable Author:Thomas Friedman
“The Middle East would always be an important trading partner in just a market sense, like America is a big market for us, Asia is a big market, Europe is a big market. You are going to have hundreds of millions of consumers there, from just a standard market point of view, from a very narrow American point of view.” ImportantBigsAmericaViewsMillionsMiddleStandardsEuropePoint Of ViewEastPartnersConsumersMiddle EastAsiaTradingTrading Partners Author:Thomas Friedman
“I could see America playing a slightly smaller role in the Middle East but I would not see us abandoning the region and just say "Oh," like I said, "China, Russia, it's yours now. Global focus is just on our hemisphere." I don't see that happening.” SaidAmericaRolesFocusMiddleHappeningsChinaEastRussiaRegionsMiddle EastHemisphere Author:Thomas Friedman
“I think that competition will exist even if we discover more oil. We're never going to know how much we have, or how long will it last. You are always going to want to have diversity of supply. I think the Middle East will remain a region of competition, of global competition, fighting for a long time.” IfsThinkingKnowsWantLongLastsFightingKnow HowMiddleDiversityLong TimeCompetitionOilEastRegionsMiddle East Author:Thomas Friedman
“Criticizing Israel is not anti-Semitic, and saying so is vile. But singling out Israel for opprobrium and international sanction - out of all proportion to any other party in the Middle East - is anti-Semitic, and not saying so is dishonest.” PartyMiddleInternationalIsraelEastProportionCriticizeMiddle EastSanctionsAnti Semitic Author:Thomas Friedman
