Inflation Sparking Violence in ‘Rich’ Arab Oil States

Monday, Feb. 25, 2008 3:22 p.m. EST

The same oil price increases that make Arab rulers wealthy also are rapidly pushing the Middle East’s middle class toward poverty.
Strikes, demonstrations and riots from Morocco to the Persian Gulf are becoming commonplace as inflation causes prices for basic foods and other necessities skyrocket.

In Jordan, the cost of some fuels shot up 76 percent overnight after the government had to remove almost all fuel subsidies.

Rising fuel had immediately doubled prices of food staples like eggs, potatoes and cucumbers.

The region’s strong reliance on food imports makes the Middle East especially susceptible to global commodity price increases, a condition made far worse by monopolies and corruption.
Two-thirds of Jordanians reportedly believe there is widespread corruption in the public and private sector, says Mohammed al-Masri, public opinion director for the University of Jordan’s Center for Strategic Studies.

"The middle class is less and less able to afford what they used to, and more and more suspicious,â€