Saturday, July 16, 2011

Can Free Trade and Capitalism Solve the Middle Eastern Peace Problem? Book Review

Wouldn't it be great to have peace in the Middle East? Indeed, that would be a wonderful thing, and more than a few people believe that the answer will come through free-market trade and capitalism. One of the best arguments for Middle Eastern Peace using the flows of money and trade comes from Vali Nasr, a professor who has written a very good book, which will definitely get you thinking about the realities, ramifications, and real world potential. The book is called;

"Forces of Fortune - the Rise of the New Muslim Middle Class and What it Will Mean for Our World," by Professor Vali Nasr; Free Press a division of Simon & Schuster; NY (2009); (256 pages); ISBN: 978-1-41658-968-6

Professor Nasr uses the rise of Dubai's economy as an example of how this might work, of course that is on a large scale, but on a smaller scale he suggests that if wealthy businesses owners with power and control receive a good bit of their income and success from trade, they will make sure to protect their income by insisting that government leaders and diplomacy moves ahead in a positive way. If not the products they sell or the services they receive to help them continue their businesses will disappear.

Nasr shows with lots of examples throughout the book that this can stop extremism. After all, jobs are also part of the equation because if those business people are not hiring people because of political tensions or lack of trade, then the middle classes also realizes their jobs are tied to good diplomacy and peace and working with instead of against the West. See that point? Anyway, he did a very good job in this book. No, not all his examples were perfect, as historically speaking history is not perfect either, but it sure makes you think. Thus, I highly recommend this book.

Lance Winslow is a retired Founder of a Nationwide Franchise Chain, and now runs the Online Think Tank. Lance Winslow believes we need to think these things through, so think on it. Note: All of Lance Winslow's articles are written by him, not by Automated Software, any Computer Program.


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