Conflict, refugees, authoritarianism, and economic stagnation engulf the Middle East. Can a new, more peaceful and more prosperous Arab order emerge after the collapse of the old?
With contributions by the Carnegie Middle East Program and dozens of experts from the region, Arab Horizons attempts to contribute to the charting of a new course for the Middle East. The project features policy reports addressing five critical areas: political economy, education, governance, refugees, and conflict mediation.
The 2011 Arab uprisings and ensuing conflicts demonstrate that piecemeal reforms are not enough and that military interventions seldom produce positive outcomes. Arab Horizons is based on the premise that citizens and states must forge new social contracts to address massive challenges. The five reports collectively argue for a new approach built upon the following building blocks:
The Middle East Program in Washington combines in-depth regional knowledge with incisive comparative analysis to provide deeply informed recommendations. With expertise in the Gulf, North Africa, Iran, and Israel/Palestine, we examine crosscutting themes of political, economic, and social change in both English and Arabic.
In the twenty-first century, success is measured not by resource wealth but by human capital. Citizens are not subjects to be controlled but vital stakeholders in the transformation of their societies.
In the twenty-first century, success is measured not by resource wealth but by human capital. Citizens are not subjects to be controlled but vital stakeholders in the transformation of their societies.
Prosperous societies require new norms of accountability, both within states and between them. Achieving it requires confronting patronage networks which dominate many Arab societies.
Prosperous societies require new norms of accountability, both within states and between them. Achieving it requires confronting patronage networks which dominate many Arab societies.
To be effective, Arab governing institutions need to build capacity, efficiency, and transparency. New arrangements are necessary to allow local governments greater latitude in managing their own affairs.
To be effective, Arab governing institutions need to build capacity, efficiency, and transparency. New arrangements are necessary to allow local governments greater latitude in managing their own affairs.
New incentive structures are needed that reward merit, innovation, and initiative over personal connections and nepotism, and that promote new norms of state behavior.
New incentive structures are needed that reward merit, innovation, and initiative over personal connections and nepotism, and that promote new norms of state behavior.
The Arab Middle East faces unprecedented socioeconomic, political, and institutional challenges. Amid burgeoning conflict and economic stagnation, trust has eroded between governments and their citizens.
The old Arab order has collapsed. Can a new order be created?
More than any other region in the world, the Middle East is defined not by commercial ties, diplomatic interaction, or regional organizations, but by hard power and military might.
The conflicts generating mass population movements from and within the Middle East have become global in nature, and their destabilizing effect can be felt far beyond its borders. Addressing their ramifications requires bold leadership and a sense of shared responsibility at the global, regional, and national levels.
Arab educational systems need to serve the needs of pluralistic societies and foster the development of active, responsible citizens who are empowered to deal with complexity and advance constructive change.
Constructing a new order in the Arab world requires states to begin confronting the patronage system and crony networks that distort economic outcomes and suppress job creation. The economic challenge is thus not merely technical, but profoundly political as well.
Fifty years after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, repeated efforts to negotiate a two-state solution have faltered, and the traditional instruments of Palestinian nationalism face crises of confidence.
Fifty years after the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, repeated efforts to negotiate a two-state solution have faltered, and the traditional instruments of Palestinian nationalism face crises of confidence.
The Palestinian national movement needs a coherent strategy, along with a new generation of leaders that can stem the political ruptures and inject new life into Palestinian institutions.
The Palestinian national movement is at a crossroads and may need a redefined vision and strategy for the months and years ahead.
