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Arab World: A Violent Region in Turbulent Times

(MEMRI) Dr. Nimrod Raphaeli - The sixth report on Arab development issued by the UN Development Program was released on Nov. 29, 2016, at the American University in Beirut. The report highlights the fact that in the last decade the Arab world has experienced "the most rapid increase in war and violent conflict" compared with other regions of the world. The Arab world also has "the dubious distinction" of comprising the largest number of failed states, showcasing a high scale of "fragility and failure" in addition to being the source of the largest number of refugees and displaced people. The report shows that the Arab world is home to 5% of the global population but had a 45% share of global terrorist attacks in 2014, claiming the lives of 21,000 people, and 68.5% of battle-related deaths in that same year. The Arab countries have pursued an economic model that "for financing, counts heavily on external windfalls, including aid, remittances and rents from oil revenues." Income and wealth are not derived from "work, innovation and risk-taking," but rather from public largesse. Unlike the fast-growing East Asian countries which relied heavily on the manufacturing sector as a vehicle for job creation, the Arab economies have registered low if not negative growth.
2017-01-12 00:00:00
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