امنيت و انرژي خاورميانه و توسعه اقتصادي آسيا و اقيانوسيه (2008 - 1973)

SECURITY OF MIDDLE EAST ENERGY RESOURCES AND ASIA-PACIFIC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Rapid economic and steady high rates of economic growth has drastically increased the need for imported oil in Asia-Pacific region; China -an oil exporting country in the region till 1993- is now the third oil importer of the world with the neighboring Japan being in the second place. South Korea as the worldʹs ninth oil importer consumes almost as much as the entire oil production of oil exporting countries such as Kuwait, UAE or Venezuela. Supply diversification policies has already met their limits for the region as the African and Russian oil productions have provided nothing but a small portion of the Asia-Pacificʹs ever-increasing energy needs and therefore the regionʹs dependence to Middle East oil exports has been increasing rapidly and constantly. Accordingly the stability and security of Middle East is no more a matter of "others" to achieve as uninterrupted oil supplies from Middle East looks nothing less than vital for both existing and emerging Asian-Pacific economic powers. This article argues that the out break of any security problems in the stability of oil market directly and negatively affect socio-economic development of the Asia-Pacific region.