INTEGRATION OF THE MIDDLE EAST WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD

Integration of the Middle East with the Rest of the World



Abstract

This paper mainly concentrates on the concepts of religion, economics and politics in the Middle East. When the term of Middle East is heard, the first thing that comes into the minds is the atmosphere of conflict and chaos. Most of the Middle Eastern countries do not have close relationships with western countries; they even do not have strong bonds with each other. In this paper, the question of how the Muslim communities can integrate with the rest of the world will be the main topic to be emphasized on. The different attempts of opening the Middle East economically, religiously and politically will be analyzed. One answer to this question might be opening the region to the free trade. Free marketplace and trade can build strong and peaceful relationships between countries. In this paper the countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, Turkey, Jordan and Dubai will be analyzed in terms of their trade patterns and how that pattern affect those countries economically, politically, religiously and socially.

Integration of the Middle East with the Rest of the World

Introduction

The main purpose of this research paper is to understand the integration of the Middle East with the rest of the world. This paper also analyzes the trade patterns of Iran, Afghanistan, and Turkey, Jordan and Dubai and the affect of these trade patterns on the country's economic, political, religious and social aspects.

Discussion

Integration of the Middle East with the Rest of the World

The recent globalization trends have revived a long-standing interest in regional integration in the countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) (Alonso, 2007). Despite numerous attempts to encourage economic integration in MENA in the past few decades, there is broad consensus that progress has been painstakingly slow and the record of economic integration in the MENA region largely beset by failure.

This paper examines the impact of recent changes in the world economy on trade policy within the MENA region and its economic relations with the rest of the world. It considers regional integration and prospects for trade blocs; trade liberalization and economic restructuring; resource endowments and employment trends; and changes in economic boundaries, especially as a result of labour migration and regional conflicts (Ash, 2007).

Interest in regional integration has recently revived in both developed and developing countries. The US has responded to the lack of progress in the Uruguay Round of the GATT by pursuing bilateral trade negotiations with Canada and Mexico, while the developing countries' trade liberalizations of the 1980s have prompted them to re-evaluate the potential benefits of regional integration (Bisat, 2006). The tendency for the world trading system to divide into three blocs the European Community, the Americas and East Asia is bringing the benefits of guaranteed access to large markets to their members. Many poor non-member countries will suffer from the loss of access to industrial country markets, however, and the risk that trade wars will impede ...