Initiating the Arab World’s Transformation

Proposed by Peter A. Zuckerman, President, Human Progress Network

    Obviously the current situation in the Middle East is very disturbing. The unresolved Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the sectarian violence in Iraq, the continuing terrorist acts, the effort by Iran for regional dominance, all contribute to this instability. More than ever, new ideas are needed to resolve this situation.

    I may be an optimist, but to me the glass is more than half-full. The Arab world has uncontested domain over a vast territory. Their large population has tens of millions of young men and women ready to be educated, to contribute to science, technology, economies and societies. As major suppliers of oil, the Arab world has the financial resources and influence for favorable economic development. What is needed is the will and determination to initiate the needed reforms.

    Resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is central to the reform effort. Here again, I consider this issue as a positive force, if resolved successfully. There are already a number of peace initiatives and proposals, which could be implemented to remove this road block to the needed reforms in the Arab world.

    I look at the situation of the Middle East as a gigantic jigsaw puzzle.  We have all the pieces. All we have to do is put them together to solve the problem. These are the major steps in the process:

    1. Resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in accordance with the Geneva Accord.

    2. The Arab League recognizes Israel, in accordance with the Beirut Arab Peace Initiative. Israel, in exchange, pledges to assist the Arab world in economic and social development. Both the United States and the European Union will support this effort.

    3. The ultimate model for the region is the European Union, which replaced centuries of conflict with cooperation for development. The first phase will be the Trilateral Confederation among Jordan, Palestine and Israel.

    4. The intellectual resources of the region will be used to develop the models of governance for reform, without empowering fundamentalists and other extremists. (I am using the Club of Rome as a potential source: its president is Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, and Israeli Yehezkel Dror is author of the excellent book “The Capacity to Govern.”)

    5. The Trilateral Confederation will be expanded into the Confederation of Abraham, which will be the union of all the Arab states and Israel. It will be similar in structure to the European Union. The spiritual foundation will be based on the Alexandria Process, which proclaimed the cooperation of the Abrahamic Religions of Islam, Christianity and Judaism.

    6. The Confederation of Abraham will ensure the gradual economic, social and political development of the region. It will also stop efforts by extremist movements to prevent the needed reforms. A Marshall Plan by the European Union and the United States would provide substantial financial support for this effort. The fragmented Arab world would be transformed into a unified Arab Nation, comparable to the structure and success of the European Union.

    The above proposal would implement the gradual reforms needed for the Arab world. The process could be started by having a Peace Initiatives Conference, which would explore the various components. Following is the outline of such a Conference.

    (Note: Where applicable, links are provided to the Internet web sites for descriptions.)

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A Proposal by the Human Progress Network
(based on the initiative of President Nicolas Sarkozy)

International Conference
for the
MIDDLE EAST PEACE
    
Date: To be announced
Location: To be announced
Sponsored by: To be announced

    The continuing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians is destabilizing the Middle East. The conflict continued since the establishment of Israel in 1948. Previous proposals — such as the Oslo Accords — failed to resolve the problems. It is becoming obvious that resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict will require major participation by the Arab world, with the support of the European Union and the United States. New ideas are needed urgently, to achieve this highly desirable objective.

    The Conference will explore the peace initiatives that have been proposed for the region. Hundreds of participants from all over the world, including official representatives from the Arab League, are expected to take part. A large-scale event with an international character will take place. Among those invited will be officials from Arab countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Gulf States, and Israel. Major participation from the European Union and the United States is anticipated. The Conference sponsorship is to be announced. Potential sponsors could be the European Union, the United States, the Arab League, and others. The ideas and topics that will be discussed include the following:

• Alexandria Process
• Geneva Accord
• Beirut Arab Peace Initiative
• Reaching the Goals of the Arab Human Development Reports
• Peaceful Governance for the Arab World (by Club of Rome)
• European Union as Model for the Arab World
• Trilateral Confederation
• Confederation of Abraham
• Union for the Mediterranean (linking the European Union with the Confederation of Abraham)

    Arab cable networks — Al Jazeera and others — will provide extensive coverage of the Conference. Ultimately, a balanced view of potential solutions to the conflict will bring peace to the region. This in turn will improve substantially the economies and societies of the Arab world. A regional Marshall Plan by the European Union and the United States would assist this transformation process. Eventually even the ambitious goals of the Arab Human Development Reports would be achieved.

Proposed by:

    Peter A. Zuckerman
    President (Motivation)
    Human Progress Network