| Security threats have threatened the development of energy in several Middle East states. The Center for Strategic and International Studies said in a report that at least five Middle East countries have been affected by conflict and regional tension. The report, entitled "The Geopolitics and Security Dimensions of Middle Eastern and North African Energy Exports," identified these states as Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Libya and Yemen. "None of these tensions and conflicts poses immediate threats to the flow of MENA [Middle East, North Africa] oil exports," the report, authored by Anthony Cordesman, said. "But they have affected the development of energy supply in Algeria, Iran, Iraq, Libya, and Yemen, and new outbreaks of violence could occur in many MENA states with little or no warning." The report termed the southern Gulf states as relatively stable amid the resolution of many of their border disputes in recent years. But Cordesman warned of Sunni-Shi’ite violence in Bahrain, Al Qaida’s campaign against Saudi Arabia and the heavy dependency on foreign workers in most Gulf Cooperation Council states. |