The low price of oil will test governments in the Middle East and Africa
With less cash to bribe the people, some strongmen will resort to repression
“IN THE HISTORY of any nation there are special moments and seminal events,” said President Uhuru Kenyatta in August. He was celebrating Kenya’s entry to the club of oil producers with a symbolic shipment of 200,000 barrels. “The first export of crude oil by our nation...marks a special moment in our history,” he declared.
This article appeared in the Middle East & Africa section of the print edition under the headline “The big squeeze”
Middle East & Africa March 14th 2020
From the March 14th 2020 edition
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