Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy

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John Wiley & Sons, Jun 5, 2006 - Business & Economics - 464 pages
Twilight in the Desert reveals a Saudi oil and production industry that could soon approach a serious, irreversible decline. In this exhaustively researched book, veteran oil industry analyst Matthew Simmons draws on his three-plus decades of insider experience and more than 200 independently produced reports about Saudi petroleum resources and production operations. He uncovers a story about Saudi Arabia’s troubled oil industry, not to mention its political and societal instability, which differs sharply from the globally accepted Saudi version. It’s a story that is provocative and disturbing, based on undeniable facts, but until now never told in its entirety. Twilight in the Desert answers all readers’ questions about Saudi oil and production industries with keen examination instead of unsubstantiated posturing, and takes its place as one of the most important books of this still-young century.
 

Contents

PART ONE FROM BEDOUIN TO BOURGEOISIE
1
PART TWO THE EBBING OF THE SAUDI OIL BOUNTY
99
PART THREE GIANTS AT THE TIPPING POINT
149
Coming Up Empty in New Exploration
231
Turning to Natural Gas
245
CONTENTS
261
Facing the Inevitable
281
Reading Between the Lines of the Latest News
309
Aramco Invokes Fuzzy Logic to Manage
325
Aftermath
341
Appendix A Methodology
355
The 1974 and 1979 Senate Hearings
377
Notes
391
Index
415
Copyright

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About the author (2006)

MATTHEW R. SIMMONS is Chairman of Simmons & Company International, a Houston-based investment bank that specializes in the energy industry. He now focuses on research, writing, and speaking engagements. Last year, he gave seventy-five speeches to a variety of groups, including energy industry conferences, university symposiums, and think tanks. Mr. Simmons is a member of the National Petroleum Council, a board member of Resources for the Future, and a Trustee of The Atlantic Council of the United States. He has an MBA from Harvard University.

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