A predictable outlook on International Relations

Predictable, since there is no empirical evidence to support it, only an inclusive analysis of the global system as it is today, and how it will probably look like in the future, if it stays on the course that is currently in motion. The motion, or the driving mechanism I speak of, is globalization. It has bestowed its rules indiscriminately on all countries, making competitiveness the absolute priority. One must question, the future that such a system mainly characterized by competitiveness, has to offer, to the international relations of countries around the globe. I once pondered on the novelty of that word "competitiveness", when I said "It would be ignorant to not see that barriers are being torn down constantly, yet it would be the pinnacle of ignorance to not see the system of blocs that is being created to replace them in order to alleviate competitiveness, that replaces those torn down barriers with ever larger and sturdier walls. What will happen fifty years along the road of globalization? Will it force small countries to unite in order to compete? Is the complete unification of the European continent, Latin America, the remaining relatively small Asian tigers, and the Arab World a given, or will they wither away?"

If necessity is indeed the mother of all invention, then the meshing of certain small states into one entity is inevitable. Small individual countries, no matter how robust their economic performance and their decent standards of living, will mostly strive for more, history serving as a precedent, with a few exceptions acknowledged. The pressure exerted on countries to produce and reform is often overwhelming, even after applying all necessary reforms, the sheer magnitude of their economies will obviously be a crucial element contributing to just how much they can offer their people. Therefore the countries that find themselves in a position to unite with other similar countries (ethnically or ideologically), in order to expand and enrich their economies will inevitably do so, out of economic needs, if not desirable ideological dreams. Here, a dummy system has been created, to experiment with the notion of one of the predicted blocs that would stem directly from the effects of globalization in the future, (In this case, the Arab world)   

The idea behind introducing a truly unique democratic model tailored to cater the Arab world is simple. It is first and foremost, about Arab competitiveness in the global system. Implemented with validity by way of the ballot box, this system will put into consideration the freedom of man to be, and to choose his own destiny. If man is to be presumed free by nature, then any constraints on his freedom is unjust, as long as he is leading a life that does not harm others around him in his society. The idea behind it is to insure maximum flexibility for tranquil, economically and socially sustainable, prosperous provinces (Currently sovereign independent Arab countries), so that the citizens of that United Arab World can excel, no longer awaiting concessions from large powers in order to promote fair globalization. Instead, the urge to take matters into their own hands, due to the discontent of being the underdog in such a system, will overwhelm them. A well publicized example of unfair trade in recent years has been the developed worlds' insistence (Mainly European countries), on keeping mainly their farm subsidies in place, therefore leading to a decline in the developing worlds' agricultural exports.

The core concept is integrating the two predominant forces on both the social and political fields in the Arab World today, they are the religious/conservative and the liberal/secular. In my opinion there are certain, in fact numerous limits to individual liberty. I am equally certain however, that it is our duty to extend and expand them as much as humanly possible, in order to receive the true consent needed from man to bind him. Therefore guaranteeing both sides an equal voice regarding how they wish to be ruled is in my opinion by no means tresspassing the limits set upon individual liberty, yet still, such a goal in the current system remains unattainable at best.

-Tamer Elsahy

A Grand One Arab World Hatsoff to:

Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum

By SCOTT MACLEOD

This year's headlines about a Dubai company's attempt to take over port operations in major U.S. cities publicized what Middle East hands already understood: Dubai's ruler, Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum (or Sheik Mo, as some of his subjects fondly call him), is a very ambitious chap.

Although government-owned Dubai Ports World diplomatically withdrew its plan after the U.S. Congress raised a stink about port security, the bid demonstrated that Sheik Mo's aims extend beyond his dream of turning his patch of desert into a futuristic global hub in the span of a generation. His Dubai Investment Group, for example, has taken a 2% stake in DaimlerChrysler AG, while other government entities gobbled up real estate like New York City's landmark Helmsley Building and won contracts worth billions to build Mediterranean spas and even a new city in Saudi Arabia.

Sheik Mo's bold vision of transforming Dubai (pop. 240,000, not including a million or so foreign workers) into another Singapore and raising gdp from $8 billion to $37 billion in 15 years is urban planning on a cosmic scale. A man of many guises—poet; champion horseman; United Arab Emirates Vice President, Prime Minister and Defense Minister—Sheik Mo, 57, above all sees himself as CEO of Dubai Inc. His family-run city-state is no democracy, yet it has become a model of business-style governance in a region known for kleptocracies. His realm includes a blossoming financial center, regional headquarters for global brands, mega shopping malls, amusement parks, a world-class airline and an airport to go with it, luxurious hotels that play host to 7 million tourists annually and the world's largest man-made islands. "What he is trying to do," says confidant Mohammed al-Gergawi, "is to build an Arab and Muslim success story." In case anyone misses the point, Sheik Mo has broken ground on the Burj Dubai skyscraper, intended to be the planet's tallest building.