Challenges that North Africa and the Middle East are Facing Nowadays - Essay Example

1. Memo to Secretary of Condoleezza Rice I am sure that you know about the many short-term and long term challenges that North Africa and the Middle East are facing nowadays. These challenges do just affect these areas politically, economically and socially, they also pose a great threat to the very survival of its people. Fortunately, the United States, with all its resources, can do a difference in the lives of the people in these parts of the world. I therefore submit to your good office the following points for consideration in formulating policies for interventions in these areas. a. Security Issues Human security is one of the greatest challenges faced by the Middle East and North Africa Region. Wars have raged in these regions for several years and the devastation brought about these wars has been tremendous. To be specific, the Iraq War had cost so much destruction of lives and properties. For the next five years, the destruction of lives and properties will most likely continue. On the other hand, the aftermath of the war could take a great toll on the economy and stability of the area for the next 20 years. The implications of the war in Iraq on the lives of the people and the security of the area are so great that the United States should address this problem more fully. I fully understand the position of the United States on the issue of terrorism but the point is that there are other ways of address terrorism other than counter-violence. We all know that violence begets violence and if the United States does not take concrete moves to end the violence in the area once and for all, this situation will not be resolved in the next several years. I believe that a solution of the problem would be a shift in foreign policies in Iraq. Instead of focusing on counter-terrorism and supporting the armed conflict in the area, the United States government should focus its attention more on the rehabilitation and rebuilding of Iraq through education, economic development and political participation by the people. We must understand that as long as the people in the area feel oppressed and deprived, they will be more prone to violence. b. Poverty and Education Due to the presence of oil in this region, most of us are lead to believe that the economy in these parts of world is doing well. Unfortunately, that is not the case. Although some of the oil rich countries in these areas are dong really well, many of them are struggling to against poverty and deprivation. According to the report of the World Bank in 2006, about one in every five persons in the Middle East and North Africa Region can be considered as poor. The same report showed that poverty rates in countries like Egypt and Yemen are twice as high compared to the average poverty rates in the region. If the trend of poverty is not addressed immediately, the World Bank predicts a steady decline in the economic status of the area for the next five years. Even if the issue is addressed right away, the decline in the economy is most likely to continue for the next 20 years. For the economies of this region to improve, a sustained and deep reforms in its investment climate and its education system is in order. By opening its economies to accommodate greater trade, the Middle East and North Africa region can experience better economy. To help the Middle East and North Africa region achieved better economy, the Untied States should look into its trade policies in these areas. The United States can greatly help boost the economies of these areas by opening its doors to accommodate more trading between countries in the Middle East and North Africa Region. Moreover, the United States should look into the possibility of assisting these countries in improving their educational system. c. Water Problems and Population Control The problems of water and population in the Middle East and North Africa region are so deep that for the next five years, the issue of water shortage could actually become a source of conflicts in the area. Note that although the Middle East and North Africa region is home to about 5% of the worlds population, it only enjoys roughly 1% of the worlds supply of fresh water. With the growth of population in this area, the demand for water has rapidly grown, leading to over extraction of water in many areas. According to a World Bank report, the problem of water is compounded by the fact that many water service providers in the area have poor service quality and in most cases, have inadequate supply of water. Given the urgency of the problem, the impact of shortage of water in the next five years can be tremendous. With the steady population growth in the area, the problem of water and sanitation can reach to a very critical level in the next 20 years. In fact, the next wars in this region could actually be caused by lack of water. Given the magnitude of the problem, the United States should take a look at its foreign policies towards environmental conservation and population control. Focus should be given on how scarce resources like water can be property utilized and how this renewable resource can be recharged. The United States should help these countries strengthen their internal water governance policies through education and direct technical assistance. With direct assistance, the US can transfer sound environmental technologies and practices. On the issue of population, focus should be given on how to control the ballooning popular in the area so as not to strain the environment further. 2. Why the Iraqis have not been able to come to a political solution Taking a closer look into the history of Iraqs politics, we can clearly see how it is shaped by complex factors. Its naval and strategic confinement and the fact that Iraq is yet to establish a national identity that incorporates all the sectors of its society play vital roles in how Iraq respond to several political challenges internally and externally. The inflexible stand of Iraq on issues that involve internal political reform can be attributed to the fact that Iraqis have not really come to terms of who they are as a nation. To help us understand why political resolution to the problems of the country is very difficult to achieve, we need to understand the history of the Iraqi people. Iraqi has one of the most diverse populations in the Middle East. Around 80% of the people who are living in this country are Arab while 15% of the population is non-Arabic-speaking Kurds and the rest of the 5% are Assyrians and Turkomans. In terms of religion, Iraqis are also very much divided. Although 97% of the population is Muslims, these people are actually divided into ethnic groups. These ethnic groups are composed of 55-60% Shia, 20% Sunni Kurds and 15-20% are Arab Sunni. In the past, these groups are never had to deal with each other. Under the Ottoman rulers, the provinces in the Iraqi state functioned independently. For instance, the province of Basra maintained independence from the Baghdad while the province of Mosul in the north also enjoyed its own independence. Since Iraq was a fractured state at that time, the Ottoman Empire collapsed. With the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the independent kingdom of Iraq was established in 1932. Although the monarchy of Iraq adopted the policies of independence between religious groups and territories, it also sought to uphold the status quo of Sunni dominance which prompted the conflict between the Arab Sunni and several of the minority groups. To appease the groups, the monarchy allowed certain forms democratic expression which resulted in the establishment of the Hashemite dynasty. However, a coup in 1958 overthrew the monarchy and a military regime took its place. The new leaders adopted an exclusivist political culture which ignited tribal conflict and rivalry among three major groups such as the Sunnis, Shi‘is, and Kurds. On the other hand, military regime adopted a no compromise stand. Those against the government were killed and their properties confiscated. The military then became the symbol of power in the area. The alienation of the Shi‘is and Kurds led to several coups in the past. The mismanagement of the problem of division sparked ethnic conflicts that prevail even today. Because of the division and ethnic conflicts in the area, the phenomenon that was Saddam Hussein was born. People rally behind Saddam Hussein because he represented a single minded authoritarian leadership that was supposed to unite the fragmented Iraqi country. Unfortunately, that was not case. In the end, Saddam still adopted the mind frame of his predecessors by favoring one ethnic group over the others. Sunni Arabs held positions of power which prompted yet another round of ethic conflicts in the area. To these days, the problem of fragmentation in Iraq still prevails. Ethnic groups are still fighting against each other to gain power in the area. Even with the conduct of the election in Iraq and the establishment of a new government, fighting still continue and will most likely to continue until such time when the differing ethnic communities will learn to co-exist with each other peacefully. Until such time when Iraq finds its national identify, there will be no political resolution to its problems. 3. The Arab-Israeli Conflict From the Israeli Point Of View And The Palestinian Point of View The conflict between the Arab and the Israeli is one of the longest in the history of humankind. The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians over their territories in particular had gained a lot of attention all over the world for several years. The roots of the conflict are actually very complex. In fact, there is no single point of view taken by any of these nations as to what really cause the conflict. Israelis are bitterly divided about the causes of the war but the most popular view is that the conflict is rooted on the fact the Arabs attempted to destroy Israel and that Israel had not choice but to defend itself. This view was taken by many Israelis even before the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War. Up to this day, many Israelis still recall the words of Mufti Mohammad Amin al_Husayni when he said in 1948 "I declare a holy war, my Muslim brothers! Murder the Jews! Murder them all!" Israelis believe that they are fighting for their existence and for the right occupy the land that belonged to their ancestor. For many traditional Israelis, the presence of the Jews in the land of Israel can be traced back as far as three millennia and that Israel is the land that God promised to them while they were in bondage in Egypt. On the other hand, the more modern group argued that when Israel was set up in 1947, the area was dominated by Israelis and that over a period of years, the Jewish majority in these areas have developed peacefully and not through war. Since the Israelis have been peacefully occupying these lands for a long and they the majority of the occupants of these land agreed to create an independent state, the Arabs has no right to force them to forfeit their right over their lands. The Israelis believe that they have all the right to defend themselves against any forces that threaten their existence. On the other hand, the Palestinians believe that the cause of the conflict is the encroachment of the Israelis of the land that belong to them. The rejection of the Arabs of the establishment of Israel as a state can be traced to the fact that the Israelis are Jewish and not Muslims. The idea that Non-Muslims establish a state within a predominantly Arab area was simply intolerable for them. Many Palestinians believe that the good relations between the Arab nations in the Middle East were shattered when Israel was created. Note that this area is predominantly Muslim and the existence of a Jewish nation in its midst is a kind of an affront. Moreover, the fact that Israel expanded its territories by seizing geographically advantageous areas such as the Gaza Strip and the West Banks is something that Palestinians could not forgive. Palestinians claimed that they were forcibly expelled from their homes and they were deprived of the land that rightfully belonged to them. Since the Palestinians believed that they are deprived of their lands by the Israelis, they feel that it is their moral right to fight the Israelis and recover what they believe rightfully belongs to them. Taking into the perspectives of both the Israelis and the Palestinians, we can surmise that the root cause of the conflict is more than just about territory. The source of the conflict is deeply rooted. Religion and racism plays a big role in the conflict. According to many observers, if Israel had been an Arab nation, its establishment would not have caused so much conflict in the area. However, since the Israelis are Jewish, religion and racism now plays a big role in the conflict. Unless the Arabs start to change their ideas about Jewish and Christians, the Israeli-Arab conflict will most likely persist. Read More