未雨绸缪,沙漠王国展望后石油经济时代.docVIP

未雨绸缪,沙漠王国展望后石油经济时代 　　沙特阿拉伯以丰富得惊人的石油资源闻名世界，有“石油王国”、“沙漠超级富国”之称。沙特也是世界上“寄生性富裕”模式最典型的国家之一。所谓“寄生性富裕”，指的是这些国家靠出售自然资源获得别国创造的财富。石油是天然资源，也是暴利资源，以沙特为代表的不少中东国家都走着类似的致富道路。 　　既然是“寄生性”，沙特的富裕就有它致命的“硬伤”。石油是沙特的立国之本，致富之源。如果到了石油枯竭，或是人类成功找到替代能源的那一天，沙特将何去何从？ 　　庆幸的是，沙特已经感受到了危机，现在已开始发展多元化经济，试图实现从“寄生性富裕”到“非寄生性富裕”的转型了。 　　 　　In Medina, Saudi Arabia, clouds of yellow dust 1)swirled in the air as tractors moved back and forth, leveling a huge, 2)barren piece of land dotted with billboards announcing the city that will rise from the sand here. Over the next few years, Saudi officials say this stretch of desert will be transformed into a buzzing 3)hub of scientific research and development, with 4)cutting-edge universities, hospitals and housing for more than 130,000 people attracted by the idea of living in the city where Islam’s 5)prophet Muhammad is buried. 　　The project, called Knowledge Economic City, represents a first serious step by Saudi Arabia toward building a post-petroleum economy. It is one of six major industrial centers planned to rise over the next 15 years. These cities-6)from-scratch are the most ambitious projects 7)to date launched by a kingdom enriched almost entirely by oil since its 8)disparate regions were unified into a state more than seven decades ago. In beginning to construct an economy to survive the end of its natural resources, the Saudi government is 9)drawing on lessons learned during a previous oil boom when profits were 10)squandered in part by 11)spendthrift princes and short-term planning that emphasized infrastructure over education. “The ruling dynasty is under pressure to show its population that the oil money is being reinvested 12)for the good of the people. The 13)al-Sauds have suffered from the image of the ruling family as corrupt and spending lavishly,” said Rochdi Younsi, an analyst with the Eurasia Group, a consulting firm that provides political risk analysis of countries around the world. 　　With oil prices peaking above $145 a 14)barrel