Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the Arab Strategic Forum, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Gergawi, identified 3 transformations that could shape the features of the region and the world in the next stage.
He said in the opening speech of the Arab Strategic Forum, whose new session began in Dubai today, that the forum presents an attempt to understand the state of the Arab world economically and politically with the aim of maximizing our capabilities to face the challenges and benefit from its opportunities for the good, stability and prosperity of the region.
Core files
Al-Gergawi pointed out that the forum will discuss a group of pivotal and hot issues on the Arab and international arena, as the sessions will address the state of the Arab world politically and economically, and will answer the questions “What does the Arab world want from the world?” and “What does the world want from the Arab world?” To the reality of the region twenty years after the invasion of Iraq, the “Cost of Not Achieving Peace Report” will also be announced in cooperation between the Forum and the Eurasia Group.
Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the Arab Strategic Forum, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Gergawi, said: “We meet today to try to form an in-depth understanding of global political and economic trends and our position in them…the region’s position and role…what do we want from the world…and what does the world want from us?”
He added: “We meet today and many convictions have changed, and questions have increased about the inability of the international system to contain crises…at a historical stage that confirms that our region must play a role in managing its crises, resolving its differences, and building bridges between its countries to build a better future for its people.”
He continued: “Twenty years ago, in front of this forum, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum spoke about the necessity of finding a just solution to the Palestinian issue on the basis of international legitimacy… and an urgent solution for Iraq within a framework that preserves its unity… and after 20 years… no.” Iraq is still suffering from the consequences of the invasion.. Iraq is no longer Iraq.. and the region is no longer the region.. 20 years after His Highness’s speech.. the Palestinian issue is still the most heated issue in the region and the world.. and its effects on the Palestinian people and on The region and the world are on the rise.”
Muhammad Al-Gergawi added: “Also, after 20 years of talking about the positive effects of globalization, and the international system coming together on common cultural, moral, and economic values, we have reached a stage in which basic human values, such as human protection, the protection of children, and their right to live in safety and security, have become a subject of disagreement, division, and skepticism. The values of humanity suit more people than others, and its standards apply to people only and according to international agendas.”
New alliances
The Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the Arab Strategic Forum, Muhammad bin Abdullah Al-Gergawi, confirmed that this session comes more than two decades after the launch of the Arab Strategic Forum in 2001, during which the international arena witnessed rapid geopolitical and economic changes, the emergence of new alliances, and an escalation in international polarization that threatens The gains of “globalization” and its repercussions on the climate and our food and water security.
He added: “We are meeting today to try to monitor new trends and what the next decade holds for us in a world that is experiencing a permanent revolution in technology, which has become the subject of questions about its future risks, a world that is experiencing new economic alliances, endless trade conflicts, and paradoxes that sometimes seem strange.”
He said: “Not all developments are negative. On the contrary, most of our global developments are positive if we look at them in terms of the economic value that has been created, the countries that have progressed developmentally and lifted millions out of poverty, the effects of artificial intelligence in doubling productivity, medical developments, and the social, economic and political stability that has been enjoyed.” It has many countries in the world.”
He said: “We see more good than evil, peace is longer than war, and hope is more lasting and lasting than despair, but we ask questions in this forum, and the goal is a clearer understanding of the course of events around us…to build a better world for us and our future generations.”
Developments in the Palestinian issue
Regarding the three transformations that could shape the features of the region and the world in the next stage, His Excellency Muhammad Al Gergawi said that the first and most prominent transformation in our region is the developments of the Palestinian issue and the war in Gaza, which has so far claimed more than 22 thousand lives and left more than 57 thousand wounded. 60% of Gaza's infrastructure was destroyed and 90% of the population was displaced.
He stressed that it is “an unprecedented human and humanitarian disaster for decades, and despite the ugliness of this war, and the efforts of most countries in the world to stop it, the scene calls for a lot of contemplation, as this war was not only a war between the Palestinians and Israel, but rather we witnessed a global diplomatic war, and international polarization around War, and we also witnessed a global media war over the issue, and who has the stronger story because wars are not won in the field, but rather their new field has become the media arenas, and we witnessed polarization between different generations over the same issue, and we witnessed an intellectual struggle over humanitarian principles and double standards in their application.”
His Excellency asked: “Will the Gaza war be the main impetus and reason for lasting peace in the region and the establishment of a Palestinian state, or will it be the beginning of an extended war on various new fronts in the region? Will it be the last war or the beginning of new wars?”
An influential Gulf role
Muhammad Al-Gergawi pointed out that the second transformation is the emergence of the Gulf states as a major economic power and an influential partner in global issues, exercising its role in mediation to find solutions in political, economic, climate and humanitarian issues, as the UAE’s recent successful hosting of the “COP 28” Conference of the Parties confirmed the pivotal role of the Gulf states. In shaping the world’s environmental agenda, Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s 2034 World Cup also emphasized the role of the Gulf countries in shaping the world’s sports agenda, and their role by hosting Expo 2020 Dubai and Expo Riyadh 2030 in formulating its cultural agenda.
He added: “The Gulf countries have begun to contribute to shaping the political and economic map and creating balances by joining the major economic blocs, and using a new principle in international relations based on openness to all, expanding the circle of investment relations and successfully building partnerships based on the benefit of all its parties.”
He continued: “Today, the Gulf countries constitute a huge investment force in the world, as the total volume of Gulf sovereign funds has reached $3.8 trillion…the largest in the world, representing 34% of the volume of global funds. In 2023, we will witness the joining of the UAE and Saudi Arabia to the group.” BRICS, along with Egypt, Ethiopia, and Iran, and with the addition of these countries, the size of the BRICS economies will reach about 28 trillion dollars.”
His Excellency pointed out that the Gulf countries have become a demographic, investment and economic center of attraction and a compass for minds and talents, thanks to the development visions that made achieving economic stability and the well-being of their citizens the first priority at the top of their agendas and action plans.
The Minister of Cabinet Affairs and Chairman of the Arab Strategic Forum, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, cited what His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum said: “If the cart is politics and the horse is the economy… then the horse must be put before the cart.” And this is precisely what countries are doing. The Gulf, where it made its major national priorities economic ones, which was reflected in its international weight, its political performance, and its role in creating new global balances.
He raised a question about how the international role played by the Gulf states will develop during the coming periods? What are the opportunities and challenges you will face in this role? How can the global economic and political weight of the Gulf states be strengthened without paying a high cost or entering into confrontations and polarization with any other international system? And how can the development and economic gap between the Gulf states and their surroundings be reduced in a way that guarantees a stable future for the region as a whole?
The escalation of polarization
Muhammad Al-Gergawi stressed that “the third transformation is the escalation in the pace of polarization not only internationally, but also within societies… intellectual, religious, political, and also social polarizations.”
He said: “We are witnessing a division between East and West… a division in political values and orientations… a division over international issues, and a decline in economic globalization in favor of populism and protectionism. We are witnessing an information explosion and media chaos, especially in the media, which has entrenched these divisions, and we have seen how the far right has risen in countries such as Argentina and Poland are coming to power, and we know that this year more than 4 billion people will go to parliamentary and presidential elections in more than 75 countries around the world.”
His Excellency wondered: Will the year 2024 be a year in which the divisions of societies increase and countries and cultures diverge…or will it be a year in which distances become closer and new bridges of relations are built?
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