 Leading thinkers, statesmen, academics and decision-makers will gather in Dubai this December to map out a blueprint for what the Arab world would look like in the year 2020.
| Oh, certainly not. Six inches thick, at least... |
The Arab Strategy Forum will form the platform for the discussions, debate and policy deliberations in Dubai from December 13 to 15, 2004. "Heads of state, dictators, key cabinet ministers, thugs, chiefs of leading public authorities, kleptocrats, non-government organisations, shamans, academics, idiot relatives, experts, mouthpieces, opinion-influencers and Mahmoud decision-makers from the private sector from the world over will gather in Dubai to discuss the future of the Arab world," said Nabil Al Yousuf, Vice-Chairman of the Arab Strategy Forum Organising Committee. The Arab Strategy Forum will be held under the overall theme of 'The Arab World in 2020. "The Arab Strategy Forum will help present a clear scenario of what challenges and opportunities will the Arab world face in its march into the future. We hope to learn from it to plan for a better future for all of us," said Al Yousuf.
| Session 1: why we need look no further than the Holy Quran. |
Think tanks will become the core themes of the discussions. The forum will discuss and outline what are the key factors that influence the region's regimes and what are the trends in governance. It will also discuss political reform and development and the march towards genuine democracy as well as the impact of the shift towards transparency. One of the other subjects to be covered under the overall theme is the impact of internal developments in one country — as is the case with Iraq presently — on their neighbours and the region.
| Session 2: Why democracy in an Arab state threatens the rest of us. |
The Arab Strategy Forum is divided into different sessions on the three days it will be held. The first day will see discussions on 'Security in the Arab World in 2020'. Most Arab countries have developed agreements with countries and blocs outside the Arab world, which has resulted in increased regional tension and instability. Historic border disputes too force increased military spending.
| Session 3: Why all Arabs are brothers. Heavily-armed brothers. |
"We look forward to the delegates and speakers answering some of the questions that we need to know so that we can effectively plan for the future," said Nabil Al Yousuf. The Forum would debate the issue whether 'war on terrorism' has resulted in some Arab countries or institutions becoming the targets for military actions. It will also look at whether an Arab or even an AGCC security alliance or bloc is possible by 2020; the possible effect of Arab—Israeli conflict on security and stability; the economic costs of instability and the effects of a long term US presence in Iraq.
| Session 4: Why killing Joooos isn't terrorism. |
The day two (December 14) would focus on business and economy with speakers debating 'Globalisation of Economies and Business in 2020 — The Future of Economic and Financial Reform in the Arab World.' Arab countries have implemented major initiatives for economic reform to attract foreign investments and to redeploy privatisation revenues for development. The varied effectiveness of such measures has resulted in major gaps in economic performance among the Arab governments. In successful cases, the growth has been mainly government-led. This raises the question about sustainability.
| Session 5: Why the good old days are good enough. |
Al Yousuf pointed out that these and other issues will be raised and answered providing regional government with ideas on how to adapt and formulate development policies. The second session of the day will cover the 'Economic and Trade Policies in the Arab World in 2020' and the crucial role of 'Energy in 2020 — The future of Oil and Gas'. Issues such as an Arab free trade zone and economic integration and the effectiveness of the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) will be dealt with in these sessions, Al Yousuf said.
| Session 6: How to exploit the West before the oil runs out. |
| It probably won't happen by 2020, but I'm wondering if eventually there will not be an "Arab world." We're three years into the War on Terror, the first time there's been real Western pressure on the Arab and Moose limb world, and already there are cracks showing — fine little fissures as yet, but still cracks. Qadhafi has decided he's not part of the Arab world anymore, has even worked himself up to the point where he's withdrawn from the Arab League, unless he's since changed his mind again. There's been a bit of agitation in Egypt against their blind identification with Arabians, pointing out that they're got their own history, thank you, and it doesn't start in Mecca. Lebanon has joined the Arab world, but still doesn't look comfortable in that position. Meanwhile, the Soddies are incrementally looking less and less like the leaders of all the Arabs. The Gulf States are richer per capita, more tolerant, and more modern. The elephant in that room is that their military is hollow. All they've got to offer is jihadi commanders and subversion. That's proving to be a powerful weapon, but if the denoument comes, their military's not going to stand up to a modern force — like Jordan's. There are dozens of diplomatic and poltical openings here, and I'm assuming that Powell and Marvin are exploiting at least some of them to the best of their ability. |
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