Tahsin Bashir - Egyptian Diplomat
New Arab states, except for Egypt, are tribes with Flags
Arab world has been politically suppressed for over 2 centuries by a stagnant political system.
Iraq has one flag, but is seperated as Sunni, Shia, and Kurdish
fought their own civil war between Arab dominated centre and the non arab minority
Hardly any of the 21 Middle Eastern Countries can accurately claim a democratic political system.
Sudan
must rely on a great degree of repression
Absence of democracy unfortunately from time to time this system of control breaks down
OIL:
"Waking From Its Sleep" Middle East is prone to war
75% of the worlds oil in the Persian Gulf region Many "energy-hungry powers" as well as local are fighting for control, and access to one of the worlds largest oil supplies. Osama bin Laden: "whoever has dominion over the oil has dominion over the economies of the world." thousands of lives are lost since 1990 due to conflict in Gaza
Arab/Iranian conflict with Israel:
in Israel’s ruthless mini-wars in Lebanon
the Palestinian "intifada" (uprising) that stared in 2000
None of the causes have "disappeared"
While China and India continue to grow, America and Ira n are competing for the Levant and Persian Gulf
Since 1990, more than 1 million have perrished
"Peace looked more achievable during the negotiations initiated by Yitzhak Rabin and Yasser Arafat in the 1990s than it does now, with Hamas and a Likud-led government in Israel" ic
Palestine
after the collapse of Mr Clinton’s Camp David peace summit