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29 March 2024

From trends to Trump's politics, Arab Strategy Forum sets agenda

Published
By Wam

Under the direction and patronage of Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Arab Strategy Forum will take place on Wednesday in Dubai.

The Forum will host a group of leading Arab and international decision-makers, academics, economists and political analysts to exchange views on the political and economic state of the Arab region and the rest of the world in 2017.

They will also discuss key strategic issues and analyse the challenges and opportunities that will face the world economically and politically in 2017.

Abdulla Bin Touq, Deputy chairman of the Arab Strategy Forum, said: "The Forum embodies the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, which aims to meet the needs of leaders and Arab governments to plan for the future.

"The forum’s approach to political and economic forecasting works to support sound decision-making around various geopolitical and economic trends, and it has followed this approach since its inception."

Bin Touq added: "The UAE continues to lead in planning for the future and developing pre-emptive and alternative solutions that meet the requirements for addressing various regional and international challenges.

"Moreover, it is focused on the realisation of the happiness and prosperity of its nationals and residents.  

"Based on this, the UAE is keen on developing its partnerships with regional countries and friendly nations, as well as continuously monitoring global developments and updating its plans and projects accordingly. The ultimate goal is to attain a better world for the largest possible proportion of the global population."

The Forum will once again feature the participation of a number of influential decision-makers and thought leaders to discuss the most important political and economic events in the region and the world over the coming year.

The Arab Strategy Forum’s highlight for this year is a session featuring the former UK prime minister David Cameron, and former CIA chief Leon Panetta, where they will discuss the main global political forecasts for 2017 in a session moderated by Becky Anderson of CNN.

Another session hosts former Egyptian foreign minister Nabil Fahmy and political thinker Professor Ghassan Salam to discuss the political state of the Arab world in 2017, in a panel moderated by Mohannad Khatib of Sky News Arabia.

The session will explore the anticipated political outlook for the Arab world with a focus on terrorism and political conflicts in the region, while considering key predictions of how the region’s countries may address them.

The Forum will also examine the regional economic outlook for 2017, presented by Natalia Tamirisa of the IMF.

The session will focus on forecasting the economic trends affecting the countries of the region and the challenges they may face in achieving their targeted growth.

In addition, the Forum presents two sessions forecasting the economic state of the world and the Arab region in 2017, consisting of a review of the most significant economic trends and their implications.

The first of these two sessions will feature Dr Mohamed El-Erian, Chair of President Obama’s Global Development Council, and will look at broad global economic trends and predicted economic scenarios for various countries.

Bloomberg Television anchor Manus Cranny will moderate the session.

The second of these sessions hosts Dr. George Corm, former Lebanese Minister of Finance, and international oil consultant Dr. Mamdouh Salameh, to provide an in-depth forecast of the anticipated economic state of the Arab world, with a particular focus on the challenge faced by oil-exporting Arab nations due to low crude prices.

This session will be moderated by Naser El Tibi of Al Arabiya TV.

In a separate keynote, political scientist Dr Ian Bremmer, president and founder of political risk and research consultancy Eurasia Group, will present the "State of the World 2017" report.

The Arab Strategy Forum will conclude with a presentation from the National Defence College about the potential impact of Trump presidency on the Middle East in 2017, and how the region can approach the new environment that will take hold as of next January.