[dodobirdlord]

Interestingly, the first thoughts that come to mind on how to mitigate this problem fit Saudi Arabia very well (as far as I know, I am no expert). Invest in a considerable security force, try really hard to ingratiate yourself with a few powerful foreign allies that have a vested interest in your stability, and then fund education like mad, especially sending children to foreign universities, to try to raise the capability level of the country before the wheels fall off.

[SaltyLemonZest]

Those mitigations will help, but one of the fundamental problems the Gulf countries will have to address is the cultural expectation that their citizens won't do hard work. When it starts becoming infeasible to import the entire construction industry from India, Saudi citizens are going to have to start taking those jobs, and they're not going to be happy about it no matter how smooth the transition is.

[anshumaniax]

Investing money into raising the capability level of these rich states usually has a very low success ratio mostly because their societies do not value labor but authority, power and money of which they have plenty.

[samstave]

This is what China's elite have been doing...

Their "hundred year plan" is fn' formidible and they really will be the super-power based on, not only, their implementation of it - but the lack of forethought from literally any other nation on the planet, save Norway.

[polotics]

Vancouver real estates begs to disagree!