I&#x27;m sure the fact that the Middle East sits on the world&#x27;s largest deposits of cheap-to-extract high-EROEI and therefore <i>maximally profitable</i> oil has absolutely nothing to do with it. :)<p>The amount of oil in the ground in places like Canada might indeed rival the Middle East, but it&#x27;s lower-EROEI more expensive oil. The amount of <i>money</i> in the ground is higher in the Middle East than anywhere else. Sub-Saharan Africa does have quite a bit of resource wealth but it doesn&#x27;t have anywhere near as fat and juicy a prize as the ME does.