The Importance of Oil in Saudi Arabia Essay - 848 Words

Crude oil is such an essential part of our modern lives that we can often take for granted that our supply of it will remain constant. Small, unstable countries often hold great amounts of this precious resource, along with the ability to cut our supply in a moment’s notice. Therefore, the discovery of oil in Saudi Arabia caused a dramatic increase in the revenue of the country. Saudi Arabia’s newfound wealth was exploited to serve the political and economic needs of an opportunistic Islamic monarchy, while the concerns and rights of its subjects were consistently cast to the wayside. Through a global trade network, Saudi Arabia found great prosperity at the cost of sacrificing its founding principles. Stability of the Arabian Peninsula†¦show more content†¦Meanwhile, the United Nations Statistics Division reported in 2001 that 3.6 million, or almost 15 percent of people in Saudi Arabia live in substandard slum housing. This is unacceptable for a country that possesses the incredible wealth of oil production, and shows that the government of Saudi Arabia only cares for its citizens when it is convenient for it to do so. The Saudi Arabian government’s disregard for the welfare of its citizens also extends to unashamed Human Rights violations. According to reports conducted by both Amnesty International (2007) and the Human Rights Watch (2004), Saudi Arabia has denied many of the freedoms described in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, despite being a member of the UN. Instead, Saudi Arabia directly follows the body of Islamic shari’a law. However, these laws do not seem to offer any protection to the residents of Saudi Arabia. Indeed, shari’a law is even more hostile to the foreign workers who make up about a third of the population of the Saudi kingdom. It was previously mentioned that oil revenue allowed for the modernisation of education in Saudi Arabia. Within the context of human rights, it is then important to note that there is a great disparity between the rates of literacy of men and women (CIA, 2008). This indicates a society that places more importance on educa tion of boys than of girls. Unfortunately for Saudi Arabia, their oil profitsShow MoreRelatedConstruction Industry In Saudi Arabia892 Words   |  4 PagesSaudi Arabia is the largest free market economy in the Middle East and North Africa, with a 25% share of GDP, and its geographical location provides easy access to export market in Europe, Asia and Africa. 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