Courageous Arab Thinkers

Can the Arab countries – long dependent on their abundant oil resources for their incomes – be convinced that development and growth is actually dependent on democracy and open societies? A group of Arab scholars are aiming to do just that by publishing their second "Arab Development Report", which analyzes the economic stagnation of the Middle East in light of the UN's "Human Development Indicators". Arab nations are falling behind, these social scientists conclude, because the governments have not fully embraced the values of education, knowledge, development, gender equality, and democracy. In this New York Times opinion piece, columnist Thomas Friedman argues that the US should support Arab efforts to modernize: "We should stop talking about "terrorism" and W.M.D. and make clear that we're in Iraq for one reason: to help Iraqis implement the Arab Human Development Reports, so the war of ideas can be fought from within." – YaleGlobal