Arab countries must rise to the occasion and re-align their thinking and strategy to meet up new challenges in a changing global scenario, according to a Middle East expert.

Middle Eastern societies are going through a crucial transition phase while facing a moment of truth socially, economically and politically, and their success will depend largely on their ability to capitalize on current opportunities, said Rami G. Khouri, senior fellow at the Dubai School of Government and director of the Issam Fares Institute of Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut.

Khouri was delivering a lecture entitled “Change Happens Everywhere: The ‘New Middle East’ that Awaits Obama,” hosted by the Dubai School of Government.

A cross-section of more than 70 academic faculty, students and opinion makers from across the UAE came to hear Khouri, who is also an internationally-syndicated columnist and editor-at-large of the Daily Star newspaper in Beirut.

"There is a real change happening in the region since the end of the Cold War. New trends are emerging, and with the new US administration in place, there is greater optimism on all fronts," he remarked.

"However, there are issues that need to be considered when taking a long-term view of the region. There is tension in many parts of the Middle East, and also the new phase of Arab-Israeli conflict has led to new dynamics in the region," Khouri noted.

"There is a growing polarization of the Arab states and a lack of a common “Arab stand” on any issue, be it Israel, the US or even inter-Arab relations," he pointed out.

"In addition, the shorter shelf life for oil and a very young and restless population eager to participate in the social process on a larger scale are some of the new realities the US administration has to come to terms with," he added.

Khouri outlined a number of factors that shape the geopolitical landscape of the region.

These include inter- and intra-Arab relations; the extent of people’s participation in the governing process; women’s well being, healthcare and education; the crisis of Arab identity in the post 9/11 era; and a crisis of international relationships among Arab states vis-à-vis Israel and the US.
 
“The signs coming from the new US administration are intriguing, to say the least, as these indicate a clear departure from the earlier stand," he opined.

"The appointment of George Mitchell as the special envoy to the Middle East is an important signal from the Obama Administration, as it indicates strong determination to solve the issues with an even-handed approach," Khouri added.

DSG regularly hosts public lectures on socially and politically relevant topics by renowned professionals for the benefit of its students as well as the Arab intelligentsia.

The Dubai School of Government, established in 2005 in cooperation with the Harvard Kennedy School, is committed to the creation of knowledge, the dissemination of global best practices and the training of policy makers in the Arab world.-TradeArabia News Service