An energy self-sufficient United States will have a particularly dramatic impact on the Middle East. First, Washington will be largely freed from having to kow-tow to the oil and gas pashas. Second, a loss of control over the price of energy will weaken the perceived strength of the oil-exporting countries. Third, they will probably experience lowered income.
In all, one of the core reasons that make the Middle East so prominent in world affairs will diminish and with it the outsized presence of the region on the world scene. As it is a region suffering from deep maladies – extremist ideologies, conspiracy theories, tyranny, a culture of cruelty, a tribal social order, and more – that lesser role will be a healthy change. No longer quite so buoyed by energy revenue power and money, perhaps a more sincere confrontation with modernity will take place.
In short, U.S. energy independence promises many benefits in the Middle East.
