[jalisco555]

I don’t know, most of the countries in Asia that have thrived since the Second World War have been poorly resourced. Think Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Taiwan. What has oil done for the people of Saudi Arabia (other than the elite)?

[BlueStateRightist]

Good points. Though give Israel greater access to natural resources and more land and it would be as successful an economy as Germany or Japan, with far greater military capabilities. It’s ability to defend and secure its territory would be that much greater.

Without question, though, and out of necessity, Israel will be the country that invents/develops the first truly economically practical source of non-carbon-dependent renewable energy. Likely in this century.

[Blennos]

I don’t know, most of the countries in Asia that have thrived since the Second World War have been poorly resourced. Think Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Israel, Taiwan. What has oil done for the people of Saudi Arabia (other than the elite)?

All of the nations on your list are non-Muslim. What if we compare Malaysia, Pakistan,Indonesia and Bangladesh? Not much thriving there.

[Ancesthntr]

“Imagine if it were to occupy 20X it’s current land and have greater access to vital natural resources.”

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I’m thinking that if they were oil-rich (or something similar), then the incentive to innovate wouldn’t have been there. When nature (or, more accurately, G-d) doesn’t provide you with natural resources on site, then you have to look at the other natural resource - wetware.