By Gray Farris

The MENA region is the largest exporter of oil in the world. With such a dependence on oil (the majority of the economic development of the MENA region is tied to oil and its many products), the countries of the MENA region have begun to diversify their economies and seek alternatives beyond oil. However, in the near future, oil will continue to be the chief export for MENA countries given the continued demand from the world, especially as half of OPEC’s membership is made up of MENA countries.