ABSTRACT

This chapter analyses the broad strategy of the oil-producing nations of the Arab Gulf for the establishment of a heavy industrial base and interprets the major constraints standing in the way of a rapid transformation of Arab Gulf into an industrial region. It provides an indicative list of the major heavy industrial projects in operation, proposed, planned or under construction, in the general area of the Arab Gulf. This list has two important qualifications: first, it makes no mention of industry in Iran. Even though much of Iranian industry is under a cloud of uncertainty at the moment, it must never be forgotten that industry in the Arab countries of the Gulf is likely to be in competition with Iranian industry over the course of the next two decades. The second qualification is that, although great care has been taken in compiling the list, it is not necessarily comprehensive nor does it give an up-to-the-minute status report on individual projects.