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Here’s one reason the Middle East is so unstable: In most Arab countries, it’s feast or famine. Between 15% and 25% of Arab children under 5 are too short for their age and between 5% and 15% are underweight. Almost half of pregnant Egyptian women are anemic, due to an iron deficiency often caused by poor diets. In contrast, a 2006 survey revealed that 30% of Egyptian adults were obese. Obesity estimates for Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were between 35% and 45%.
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A month ago a young man in Tunsia attempted to sell fruit on a streetcorner because he was broke. He was an educated member of the middle class and had been prepared for a life as a professional. He was forced off the street by the police and set himself on fire. He died.

The rest is history, as Tunisians took to the streets, the local dictator left the country, and an interim government was installed. Subsequently, Egyptians took to the streets, then Yeminis and Jordanians, now also Syrians.

The immediate problem started last summer when a devastating drought and heat wave caused the Russian and Ukranian harvests to be so damaged that Russia was forced to dramatically reduce its exports.
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