Dubai: A hard-talk type forum opened in Dubai on Tuesday to shed light on the burning issues arising from the post-Arab Spring convulsions as the Western world moves towards right-wing extremism amidst an economic slowdown.

His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, attended the forum and was at the forefront of tough discussions on how to confront challenges in the region head-on.

The by-invitation only 8th edition of the Arab Strategy Forum, which opened Dubai on Tuesday, is a regular feature on the Dubai calendar and brings together noted thinkers, economists, politicians and analysts to forecast future trends global economy.

In a speech ahead of the forum, Shaikh Mohammad referred to extremism as a modern-day evil against civilisation.

“To defeat evil and destructive forces,” he said, “we need to stop associating them with any civilisation, religion or race as they practice killing for killing’s sake. No religious teaching or civilisation supports these practices.”

Shaikh Mohammad was accompanied by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, and Maktoum Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, at the Tuesday forum.

One of the forum's highlights was a stinging report on the commulative cost -- estimated at a staggering $833.7 billion -- of the so-called "Arab Spring" and its knock-on effects, including the rise of extremism and the wave of refugees. Cost of the Arab Spring

Arab Spring refers to the uprisings that arose independently and spread across the Arab world, starting from Tunisia in December 2010 and spreading to neighbouring countries, including Libya, Egypt and Syria.

Former UK Foreign Secretary William Hague shared his thoughts on how the political state of the world will turn in 2016, focussed on the jihadist group Daesh and its future.

The Fight against Daesh, argued Hague, "will take a long time." He warns that the group will recruit more people in the coming year than previous years.

At the same time, the rise of extreme-right groups in the West is a cause of concern, said Hague.

“It should be of great concern to us when an extremist party receives up to 30 per cent of the vote," said Hague, in reference to France’s National Front party led of Marine Le Pen.

This was echoed by another speaker, Gideo Rose, editor of Foreign Affairs magazine, speaking on the political and economical state of the world. Rose predicts a rise in xenophobia in Europe in his “State of the World 2016” report.

Rose also predicted that the Gulf Cooperation Counries (GCC) will weather economic challenges;  reducing subsidies key to this.

At the forum, Hague defended Turkey’s actions of the Russian plane downing, saying Turkey is entitled to defend its airspace.

US can't renege on its role

The last session featured Prince Turki Al Faisal, chairman of the King Faisal Centre for Research and Islamic Studies and former director-general of the General Intelligence Directorate (GID) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, who spoke on a panel looking at the political state of the Arab world.

First, he expressed his condolences for the martyrs in Yemen and their supreme sacrifice to restore the legitimate government.

At the forum, Al Faisal said Syrian President Bashar Al Assad is the biggest terrorist and terrorism will continue until he steps down in Syria.

 

Gassan Salameh, a political thinker and author, who headlined a session on the state of the Arab world in 2016, said part of the new political equation in the region is the emerging conflict between Turkey and Russia. Mohannad Al Khateeb from Sky News Arabia moderated the session.

 

 

Salam Fayyad, former Palestinian Prime Minister and Mahmoud Mohieldin, corporate secretary and the president’s special envoy, World Bank, joined a session on the economic state of the Arab world in 2016.

Highlighting economic trends, growth prospects and challenges, the session will be moderated by Nassir Al Teibi from Al Arabiya news channel.

Larry Summers, former US Secretary of Treasury and former president of Harvard University, and Professor Nouriel Roubini from New York University also attended a session on the economic state of the world in 2016, highlighting economic trends and their global effects during the session moderated by Tom Kenny from Bloomberg.

A key highlight of this year’s Arab Strategy Forum is the showcasing of a number of reports by international organisations.

The World Bank will offer insights on the economic prospects for the world in 2016, while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will highlight its regional economic forecasts for the upcoming year.

 

Cumulative costs of the Arab Spring

Report Highlights:

• Cost of Arab Spring estimated at US$833.7 billion

• US$461 billion cost of rebuilding destroyed infrastructure

• US$289 billion in GDP losses

• Refugee crisis cost US$48.7 billion

• Securities markets and investment losses amounted to US$35 billion

• Arab countries lost more than 103,000,000 tourists in 5 years

• Biggest global human catastrophe with displacement of 14 million Arabs

• 1.34 million people killed or injured

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Image Credit: Zarina Fernandes / Gulf News
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Image Credit: Twitter / Dubai Media Office
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