Robert E. Looney
Email: relooney@nps.edu
Robert E. Looney is professor of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California. He specializes in issues relating to economic intelligence, economic development, and defense analysis. His publications include 20 books and over 200 articles in the professional journals including Middle East Review of International Affairs, Middle East Journal, Middle East Policy, Middle East Studies, OPEC Review, Orient, Asian Survey, Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Modern African Studies and World Development. His current research involves an assessment of Iraq’s economic system.
Papers Published in World Economics:
Can Iraq Overcome the Oil Curse?
A growing literature suggests that the oil sector and the allocation of its revenues is the critical variable in shaping both the economic structure and political systems of countries like Iraq. For the most part this literature focuses on the so-called “oil curse” or the “paradox of plenty.” An examination of the Iraqi situation suggests that the country’s current supply-side development strategy will ultimately result in the dominance of “oil cure” effects. In contrast, an alternative demand-oriented approach might be more likely to succeed in the current Iraqi environment.
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