BURLINGTON, Vt. -
The violence in the Middle East is happening half a world away but it is affecting people in the U.S.
Besides the horrible deaths of the Americans in Libya, what happens there could impact our lives here, including how much it costs to fill up your car.
Gas prices are up in our area and across the county and part of the blame goes to unrest in the Middle East.
"Libya has a lot of oil," says Gregory Gause, UVM Political Science Professor. "It's in our interest to see that, to see stability so they can pump that oil so gas prices don't get any higher."
Gause says all the violence now stems from the Arab Spring of last year.
"Getting rid of authoritarians, openings up the political field, competition, chaos, and in the case of Libya, armed groups," says Gause.
Gause says those groups can be extremist, violent, and hate the U.S. That anger grew after a video, made in the U.S., appeared online and attacked Muslims. It's sensitive subject already, especially in countries where it's illegal to speak badly about religion.
"There are limits on free speech that we would probably find unacceptable but in most of the Muslim world are considered perfectly acceptable and pretty reasonable," says Gause.
Gause says the violent protesters against the U.S., at least in Libya, have been followed by support for Americans. But Gause says if the violence continues or becomes worse, Americans might have to rethink being there.
"Whether we should be as involved in the whole region as we have over the past ten-years or so, that's an open question," says Gause.
There are a couple dozen UVM and Middlebury College students studying in the Middle East, including Egypt. We're told they're all okay.
