For me the WEF last week was a great opportunity to immerse myself into a world we rarely get to see. Out of 2,200 people present, there were probably less than 50 from Israel, and I would estimate roughly 1,500 or even more from various Arab countries in the region. The conversations held on- and off-stage were naturally geared towards the Arab world and the view was unfiltered by the media neither changing the perspective nor creating a need for taking a position due to their presence.
When I sum up the 36 hours, one topic was virtually non-existant and minor in its importance and mentioning – The Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Yes, it was somewhere in the background, and I am sure that it was heavily discussed during the session where Shimon Peres and other leaders talked about resolution for the conflict (I had to leave before Sunday sessions), but in all other sessions a very different picture of what worries the region emerges:
- How long is the current oil-boom?
- What to do with the windfall profits?
- What about Aleternative energy? How to embrace it?
- Is there a need for a pan-arebian unified region a-la EU?
- What are the boundaries and control element of such region? Unified currency? Defense pact?
- How do you create jobs in particular in the mid market?
- How do you wake up the entrepreneurial spirit in people?
- What to do about education?
- How do you treat a huge group of migrant workers coming from Asia into the region supplying the need for construction workers?
- Are unions legit or problems?
- What is the link to India and China?
A list of questions that would surprise the west, which I beleive is getting a very distorted view of the region – I am sure the distortion applies to both sides…
That also makes me wonder why we cannot get this great view from the WEF direct into the living rooms of ordinary people the minute the TV camera intervenes.
The road leading us to greater peace and through the next nuclear age is a broad, world wide economic world class. Your last paragraph is excellent - if Western achievers could see people in the Middle East as more than religious fanatics and oil producers, we could accelerate regional economic development.
Posted by: Bob T | June 19, 2007 at 03:15 PM