An Iraqi who saved Norway from oil (2009)

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NPR&#x27;s Planet Money also did an excellent segment on Farouk Al-Kasim, back in 2011. Text article and audio below:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.npr.org&#x2F;sections&#x2F;money&#x2F;2011&#x2F;09&#x2F;06&#x2F;140110346&#x2F;how-to-avoid-the-oil-curse" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.npr.org&#x2F;sections&#x2F;money&#x2F;2011&#x2F;09&#x2F;06&#x2F;140110346&#x2F;how-...</a>

Related, a recent video from PolyMatter titled Why Oil Doesn&#x27;t Corrupt Norway:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=zu8ClwrTpbA" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=zu8ClwrTpbA</a>

This story was mentioned on a related discussion 2.5 weeks ago:<p>· <i>Norway is wealthy because of oil. Can it give up fossil fuels?</i> | <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=28576597#28577318" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=28576597#28577318</a> | 50 points | 66 comments<p>The previous discussion was also spawned in similar fashion:<p>· <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=19594153" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=19594153</a> | 347 points | April 7, 2019 | 129 comments<p>· <i>Battery Reality: There’s Nothing Better Than Lithium-Ion Coming Soon</i> | <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=19590854#19593054" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=19590854#19593054</a> | 443 points | April 6, 2019 | 249 comments

As a citizen of resource rich Australia this story of foresight and self-determination in a nation just about makes me weep.

The UK also benefitted from North Sea oil, but unlike the Norwegians, we don&#x27;t have a sovereign wealth fund.<p>Some suggest the money raised went towards tax cuts and contributed to house price inflation. [1]<p>Although I&#x27;m not sure about house price inflation, as there has been similar inflation in Canada and Australia.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;commentisfree&#x2F;2014&#x2F;jan&#x2F;13&#x2F;north-sea-oil-money-uk-norwegians-fund" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theguardian.com&#x2F;commentisfree&#x2F;2014&#x2F;jan&#x2F;13&#x2F;north-...</a>

Great Article; What a serendipitous and fortunate occurrence for Norway !<p>Norwegians need to erect monuments to this guy and help other countries like he helped them.

How could al-Kasim be so sure that Norway would find oil?

Amazing story!

As a complete tangent, I find it quite sad that because of things like the ft paywall, stories like this that are written today will be lost to the sands of time.

Does Norway use most of their oil money for social media adverts?<p>There is another self-congratulatory norway article on the frontpage.<p>&quot;Norway to hit 100% electric vehicle sales by early next year&quot;<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=28777672" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=28777672</a><p>There was another one just a few days ago.<p>&quot;Norway bans gas cars in 2025 but trends point toward 100%EV sales as early April&quot;<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=28629184" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=28629184</a><p>There have been so much nonsense about norway peddled online for the past decade that I roll my eyes when I read the headline.

Norway is a European country, that no Western gov would colonize or disrupt. This is the primary factor around avoiding “corruption” by oil. Developing countries get baited and coerced into extractive economies that benefit the developed ones - modern colonialism.<p>All this talk around foresight and smarts painfully ignores reality.