Changes in the Arab world: four publications

The current uprisings in the Arab States are rooted in a multi-faceted array of interdependent causes, comprising social, economic, ideological and political factors. The developments of the last months have many direct and indirect effects on ITC’s work in the region. We would like to draw attention to four publications to facilitate understanding and interpreting causes and prospects of the change that is taking place, and how it might affect trade-related technical assistance in the region.

In his World Bank working paper, Jean-Pierre Chauffour argues that deeper integration within the region as well as with the global economy in general should be complementary strategies for the region. The author depicts his vision of a strong regional supply chain, the establishment of which requires several key measures: Elimination of non-tariff barriers to trade, regional coordination in liberalization of trade in services and strengthening rules and discipline in the implementation of trade agreements.http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1774428 

In its extraordinary session held on March 11, the European Council issued a declaration to underline its support for the democratic movements in its Southern Neighbourhood Region. The Council announced a review of existing partnerships and assistance programs and mentioned focus areas for future cooperation such as tourism and youth. http://www.consilium.europa.eu/uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/en/ec/119780.pdf 

In a recent comment on VoxEU.org about societies in political transition, Matteo Cervellati, Piergiuseppe Fortunato and Uwe Sunde consider the possible courses events in the region may take in terms of violence and quality of democracy. They refer to various empirical studies that suggest a negative correlation between levels of violence and quality of political institutions. They conclude that the regime shifts in the respective countries will likely follow different transition paths, and that the prospects for sustainable democratisation in countries that have experienced the most violent uprisings do not look bright. http://www.voxeu.org/index.php?q=node/6283 

Press Release: Citizen Empowerment, Governance Key for Middle East, says Robert Zoellick

Civil society needs to play a crucial role in the Middle East, if the recent changes are to result in successful and sustainable political and economic development, argued World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick in a policy address at this year’s Spring Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank that were held 15-17 April. Good governance and institutional reform as a basis for economic performance are dependent on the active participation of the citizens, he said. Mr Zoellick also highlighted the interdependence of politics and economics and said that only by considering the two hand in hand could one achieve sustainable development outcomes. http://go.worldbank.org/UHKRHNI9M0