Thats a bit over-simplified, Dubai is no longer a major oil producer, which is why they have wisely westernized a bit and become a tourist destination. The reason for the gas spike is a result of a number of factors, demand in China and India rose dramatically in the last five years as the result of modernization and rapid economic growth. Environmental regs have made it difficult to construct refineries and those refineries that are working have to produce multiple types of gas for different regions throughout the US. and the American public is still too enamored with over-sized, over-powered SUV's and pickup trucks- this society needs a serious reality check and the high price of gas maybe just the thing, yes its painful but true