Thinking MENA Futures: The Next Five Years and Beyond

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA), for a variety of reasons, are unrivaled in their need for bold, creative thinking about their future. By any measure, the region faces great challenges as we stand in 2021 and look ahead to the next five years and beyond. But that is precisely why creative thinking about the future of the region — why strategic foresight — is essential.

Produced in conjunction with MEI's Strategic Foresight Initiative, Thinking MENA Futures aims to map out some of the possible futures for the region, as envisioned by thoughtful innovators working today to realize them. Focusing on the key issues and trends that will shape the region over the coming five years and beyond, this volume covers everything from economic development and the future of work to climate change adaptation and public health. 

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Photo by Tyson Paul/Loop Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Contents

Introduction

• Setting the Stage: The Futures of the Middle East and North Africa
  Steven Kenney, Director, Strategic Foresight Initiative, MEI; Founder and Principal, Foresight Vector LLC

• The Future of Regional and International Dynamics in the Middle East
  Ross Harrison, Senior Fellow and Director of Research, MEI

• The US and the Middle East: Shaping the Future
  Gerald M. Feierstein, Senior Vice President, MEI

• A History of Arab Foresight: Lessons Learned
  Florence Gaub, Deputy Director, EU Institute for Security Studies

Economic Transformations

• The Political Economy of Reform in Post-COVID MENA
  Ferid Belhaj, Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa, World Bank
  Roberta Gatti, Chief Economist for the Middle East and North Africa, World Bank

• Arab States’ Risky Medium-Term Bets
  Ishac Diwan, Professor of Economics, École Normale Supérieure in Paris; Former Director, World Bank; Non-Resident Scholar, Lebanon and Economics and Energy programs, MEI

• Building Forward Better in the Middle East and North Africa: A Medium-Term Perspective
  Jihad Azour, Director, Middle East and Central Asia Department, IMF

• Breaking the Mold: Can the MENA Region Be a Leader in Inclusive Capital?
  Regie Mauricio, Research Manager, Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship, MIT
  Dina H. Sherif, Executive Director, Legatum Center for Development and Entrepreneurship, MIT; Senior Lecturer, Sloan School of Management, MIT

• Technology and Youth Drive the Future of Work in MENA
  Omar Christidis, CEO and Founder, ArabNet

• The Digitalization of Economies and the Future of Work: A Regional Outlook
  Sherif Kamel, Professor and Dean, School of Business, American University in Cairo

• The Future of FinTech in the Middle East: Trends That Are Here to Stay
  Nir Netzer, Founding Partner, Equitech; Chairman, Fintech-Aviv, the Israeli Fintech Association

• Telecommunications Trends in the Middle East
  Kamal Shehadi, Chief Legal and Regulatory Affairs Officer, Etisalat; Former Chairman, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Lebanon

Environmental Change and Adaptation

• The Middle East and the Global Energy Transition
  Karen E. Young, Senior Fellow and Founding Director, Program on Economics and Energy, MEI

• A Window of Opportunity to Avoid Devastating Climate Outcomes in MENA
  Ayat Soliman, Regional Director of Sustainable Development, Middle East and North Africa, World Bank

• Extreme Heat: The Urgent Climate Impact
  Mohammed Mahmoud, Senior Fellow and Director, Climate and Water Program, MEI

• A Viable Future for Cities in the Middle East
  Mona Fawaz, Professor in Urban Studies and Planning, American University of Beirut; Co-founder, Beirut Urban Lab; and Non-Resident Scholar, Lebanon Program, MEI

Health and Public Wellbeing

• How Can the Middle East Better Prepare For the Pandemics of the Future?
  Amira Roess, Professor of Global Health and Epidemiology, George Mason University; Non-Resident Scholar, MEI

• Connecting the Dots: How the Middle East Can Make the Transformational Pivot to the New Reality
  Nabil Habayeb, Senior Vice President, GE; President & CEO, GE International Markets

• A Revolution in Education: What Lies Ahead for MENA
  Marcello Bonatto, Co-founder, Re:Coded

• The Impact of War on the People of the Middle East
  Mohammad Abo-Hilal, Clinical Psychiatrist; Founder, Syria Bright Future

Governance, Citizenship, and Inclusion

• Addressing the Refugee Crisis
  Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

• The Primacy of the G Word: Governance, Not Only Growth
  Noha el-Mikawy, Director, Middle East and North Africa, Ford Foundation

• Women are the Arab Region’s Best Hope
  Lina AbiRafeh, Executive Director, Arab Institute for Women, Lebanese American University