Not impossible.. The MENA region can compete with the world in development and progress
By- Amro Selim (Chairman of Elmoustkbal for Media and Political Studies and member in the Alliance of Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in New York(:
Unfortunately, the name of some of the countries in the Middle East and North Africa region has been associated in recent years in the international media with severe conflicts, even though they possess many enormous natural and human resources that if their countries could cooperate and unite in order to achieve real peace with each other, then they would be able to reflect these The dark image and its transformation into a green oasis may be a symbol of peace and economic prosperity in the world, as did the countries of Southeast Asia and succeeded in moving their people from poverty to richness, and became economically and educationally developed to compete with major powers in many fields.
Many resources
This region is widely considered rich in natural resources. If we look at northern Iraq, Basra and Cyrenaica in Libya and Khuzestan in Iran, Gafsa in Tunisia, the eastern region in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Hasaka and Deir Ezzor in Syria, and Hadramawt and Saba in Yemen, we will find that most of the natural and mineral resources, most notably oil. And gas is harvested from their lands, and despite this they suffer from the lack of optimum utilization of these resources in a way that enables them to achieve a giant economic renaissance in the near future.
If we look at southern Algeria, we will find oil and gas, while Iran, specifically in Khoristan, is famous for its abundant quantities of oil and gas, as well as northern Iraq and Basra, and Cyrenaica and Fezzan in Libya, you will find the same thing, and the Western Sahara in Morocco comes from phosphates, oil and gas, and most of the global production of oil and gas comes from The countries of the region such as Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, Yemen, Syria, Tunisia, Kuwait and gulf countries, in addition to that a country like Egypt possesses a huge human capacity with a variety of disciplines that needs to be integrated into the regional labor market more broadly to give the desired effect as it has great archaeological, as well as country like Israel, which has a scientific research system that occupies an advanced position at the level of the world, so that if it enters into peaceful negotiations with the Palestinian side, it can be a real peace element in the region. There is also Sudan, which is characterized by the quality of agricultural land with high fertility and abundant various food crops that may be the food basket of the region if It has been invested properly, and Turkey it has entered into many political conflicts, although it can invest its wealth in peaceful, positive and effective cooperation with the rest of the region, is a major producer of wheat as it is characterized by an abundance of vegetables, fruits and sheep and an abundance of water sources about 120 natural lakes and 579 artificial lakes. The region has a distinctive cultural and historical diversity that makes them the most prominent in the world, although this diversity is not managed in a proper way to be a source of conflict and conflict instead of positive cooperation, as the area contains a huge archaeological heritage from many eras. Different, Egypt alone has more than a quarter of the world’s monuments to make the region sit on the throne of the world’s regions as a tourist. All this could turn the region into a gigantic attraction point for millions of world tourists if the best use of these historical resources is made for the purpose of tourist attraction and cultural exchange.
Young wealth
The region ranks third in the world in terms of the proportion of youth to the total population, as they constitute more than 60% of them under the age of 30 years, although more than 30% of them suffer from unemployment and most of these young people have university degrees, but they need training that qualifies them for the labor market, which is The easy thing is, as IMF experts estimate that if employment could increase by 0.5 percentage points annually until 2030, then economic growth could reach more than 5% annually – up from its current level of about 3.9%.
Global interests
Exiting the cycle of conflicts that some countries in the region are witnessing is not only a regional benefit, but that the global interests of the powers and peoples of the West and the East together, whether economic, security and social, grow and flourish with the stability of the region, which is consequently reflected in the economic performance of their governments, which will increase the national product. It will attract more investments as long as there is calm and stability in the region, and investors are reassured about that and have seen it themselves on the ground, which in turn will lead to reducing unemployment, providing more job opportunities, and opening factories, companies and various institutions. Here, the state’s income and resources will increase, and it will be able to spend more. On health and education, and it will require the greatest need for scientific research to develop its products and resources, which will also encourage the private sector to invest in it, especially since the region possesses vast and varied economic and natural resources and human energies that qualify it for the optimal use of those wealth, but it is unfortunately buried inside the well of conflicts and civil wars, all of that. It will lead to raising the individual’s standard of living, and thus his ability to spend on his family or start a family whose children will receive a correct education Which qualifies them to get suitable jobs in the future, meaning that the vast majority of the region’s residents and residents will not need to get involved in hostilities or there will be no justification for that. The economic wheel is rotating for everyone with a measured balance, and the political and media tools discharge energies in an effective and effective way, so it will decrease. The conflict is at its lowest level, and here the state can play a greater role in the lives of citizens in a positive way, which will be reflected in the stability of the whole world, and thus the development of the interests of other countries in the region, so that they also achieve the benefit they want through peaceful, constructive cooperation that stimulates the better utilization of various resources.
Let us not forget here that the majority of the region’s citizens do not want anything but a decent, stable and calm life from life in which they live with their families in peace and tranquility. Most of the peoples of the region grew up in agricultural environments and were brought up in simple rural families, so stability and staying next to the land and cultivating it and happiness in seeing it grow and prosper is One of their utmost ambitions, I will not forget the scenes that I saw during my travels in Egypt, especially on the agricultural roads, where agricultural lands and farms surround you on both sides of the road, to see the simple family standing in a row starting from the father and the mother to the young children, the father holds the ax to plant the land, while The children throw the seeds, and the mother prepares the food for them to gather together to eat in their little green land while they are so happy as if they own the planet with what it contains.
