Doha Debates: oil and Clinton

Last night there was a Doha Debate on the assertion "This House believes that oil has been more of a curse than a blessing to the Middle East." We didn't attend, but it was written up in the Peninsula today. Interestingly, roughly 2/3 of the audience voted that oil has been a curse for the region. (I say "roughly" because, as usual, The Peninsula's statistics don't add up.) The debate will be televised on BBC World this weekend.

Tonight the Doha Debates folks will be conducting an interview with Bill Clinton. Attendance is by invitation only, but we'll be watching a simulcast in the next building over.

Incidentally, as a follow-up to the posts on istisqa, the emir did indeed pray for rain:

Weather.com's 10-day forecast says that on 5 of the next 10 days there is a 10% chance of rain, so we'll see....