What is the place of the Arab states as a new world order emerges? How can the Arab world respond positively to change as the new Europe emerges, political relationships are restructured, and the information revolution transforms the global economy? To what extent are the Arab states in danger of falling prey to increasing disunity and fragmentation?

The book is the result of a major research programme in which Arab social scientists outline some of the paths which could be taken by the Arab world over the next 25 years. It presents a detailed analysis of resources in the Arab world – including population, employment, oil and water supplies and the trade and investment situation. The authors argue for greater popular participation and reassert the argument that only by pooling resources effectively can the Arab states establish their place in a world of national and supra-national blocs.