The MENA region has substantial barriers to making progress in multiple areas. However, this burden is not evenly distributed across the region. Countries that are dependent upon the resources of other regional powers such as the Gulf States are more likely to encounter barriers in the sustainable development goals. For the non regional powers, many barriers to development include weak institutions and lack of economic development. For these countries, the lack of capital combined with weak institutions there is a significant barrier to potential developments. This can be due to the reasons listed above, but also the already failing segments of these nations. For example, Lebanon is unable to make significant progress on issues such as energy and water insecurity due to problems such as internal division, corruption within the government, and spillover effects from other nations. In contrast, the richer Gulf states will see a drastic increase in the gap between the poorer nations and the economically developed Gulf. As the states in the Gulf are moving on from the fossil fuels to more renewable resources, many of the dependent states will still be reliant upon the fossil fuels the Gulf nations will be exporting to them. Ultimately, this developmental gap will only further the division already present in the region. Additionally, the heavy reliance on fossil fuels for the sustainment of the economy may further delay the development of both the Gulf and the entire region.