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Those countries are not surviving. They are failed states.

Edit: So too will be Saudi Arabia; they waited too long to take meaningful action to diversify away from oil revenue. Norway is the model for how to avoid the resource curse.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resource_curse

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Yes they are abysmal failed states but the parent said "government". The regimes in those countries are still in place and have survived. The rulers and recipients of their patronage are still in charge.

But Syria wasn't exactly an oil-rich country. Sure they had some oil but not game changing levels like in the Gulf.

Also notable is that Syria is a "failed state" largely because of the oil money pumped into the opposition by those same Gulf States.

And political machinations by their neighbors (Israel, plus Lebannon pushing the Alawites north) and other interested parties, e.g. the US supporting anti-Assad militias, Russia backing Assad, etc.

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