Will We Help Fund the 3rd Golden Age in Arabia?
Present Day Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Tonight, I watched the Imax movie, Arabia, at the Fernbank Museum and enjoyed the history lesson in the Two Golden Ages of Arabia. The first was led by the Nabataean culture and the natural resource that created their empire was frankincense and other spices. The Roman Empire’s polytheistic worship drove the insatiable demand for the exotic spice trade dominated by the Nabataeans.
The second golden age was led by King Abdul Aziz who conquered vast land masses in the Arabian Peninsula and formed the nation of Saudi Arabia. The natural resource that created their empire was oil and the Western World’s thirst to drive the machines of the 20th Century. Saudi Arabia’s domination is now shared with Arab nations that have this natural resource in common, including Iran and Iraq. Every year, the US transfers hundreds of billions of dollars of GDP to the Arab Peninsula to fund our addiction to petroleum.
The last segment described how Arab nations are using this vast wealth from oil as the catalyst for the third golden age of Arabia.
The next golden age needs to be led by the West and the natural resource should be clean energy. The United States and other countries that support freedom for their people need to lead the charge toward clean sources of energy. It is time for us to wean ourselves from our addiction to petroleum and create innovative alternatives to fossil fuels.
Roll up your sleeves and let’s get started.
