Gordon Brown, Britain's prime minister, wants countries with big surpluses, such as China and the oil-rich Gulf states, to contribute more.

ECONOMIST: The IMF adopts a more flexible approach

As reported in this space last week, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert Kimmitt set the stage with his recent visit to Saudi Arabia and other oil-rich Persian Gulf states.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Treasury submits to Shariah

High oil prices helped energy-rich states (Alaska, Oklahoma, New Mexico) raise revenues by more than 10%.

ECONOMIST: State budgets

The strongman rules an oil-rich nation that exports 1.1 million barrels of oil to the United States per day, which amounts to 14 percent of our total oil imports.

CENTERFORSECURITYPOLICY: Losing Latin America

Although his empire expands to Latin America, the United States and Europe, oil-rich Middle East countries so far have not been part of it.

FORBES: Is Mexican Billionaire Carlos Slim Out To Conquer Saudi Arabia?

Ms. Mehta at Acadian likes the Gulf states and Kazakhstan, the oil- and mineral-rich central Asian republic, where the economy is growing quickly.

WSJ: Upside: How to Play Investing's Wild Frontier

Certain resource rich Gulf States can, with the current high price of oil, afford to bathe the youth in financial largesse.

FORBES: Arab Unemployment Frustration Is The Real Danger

Red states Texas, Oklahoma, Wyoming, West Virginia, Montana and North Dakota (and a few blue states like Ohio and Pennsylvania) are getting rich from oil and gas drilling.

WSJ: Laffer and Moore: The Red-State Path to Prosperity

Chavez, who has ruled oil-rich Venezuela since 1999, is a controversial figure with outspoken, antagonistic views toward the United States.

CNN: Venezuela's Chavez appears chipper, energetic on state TV