STANDPOINT by Atique Naqvi

The road to recovery may be long, but the end is in sight. Nissan’s COO, Toshiyuki Shiga, foresees growth in the auto market. "Oil is a natural resource and is not unlimited. The reserves will dry up sooner or later, so we have to prepare for the future and use the available natural resources with care", he said in 2011. The interview was published in the March 2011 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

The semi-autonomous Kurdistan government of Northern Iraq is a magnet for regional trade, oil production and Iraqi migrants, Barham Salih explains. "Many Arab investors are coming from the Gulf and are exploring investment opportunities, whether in energy, infrastructure, tourism, agriculture or food production sectors", he said in 2011. The interview was published in the March 2011 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

Middle East can be in for prolonged instability By Atique Naqvi | Dubai, UAE | Uploaded on the blog recently** As global geopolitics continue their substantial shifts, the region, too, often finds itself the middle of events that ripple across the globe. Speaking with Bruce Jones, Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of Foreign Policy at the US-based Brookings Institution, the concern is that we are facing a prolonged period of instability, particularly in the Middle East. “Conflict zones aren’t multiplying, they’re migrating. That is, we continue to see a decline in numbers and levels of conflicts globally, except in one region – the wider Middle East. There, the number of wars is rising and so is their intensity. I fear that we are in for a long period of rising instability – and also brutal reactions – in the region,” says Jones ahead of the World Economic Forum’s Summit on the Global Agenda in Dubai. As always, and even more so than ever, global stability is heavily dependen...

Turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa will bring about accountable governments and allow citizens to have human rights enjoyed more widely, said Kenneth Roth. "There is no reason why the Middle East should be excluded from the same rights and freedoms that people around the world enjoy", he said in 2011. The interview was published in the March 2011 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

Political and economic threat from ‘Islamic State’ By Atique Naqvi | Dubai, UAE | Uploaded on the blog recently** Establishing a democratic system is not an easy task. The fallout of such efforts could be extremely destructive – and as a result some of the Middle East and North African countries are struggling to come back to normal. Libya and Syria can easily serve as the case studies for the research experts who want to explore the devastating aftereffects of the so-called Arab Spring. Besides the perils of instability in a country undergoing changes, the rise of militant groups with extremist ideologies poses a huge political, economic and social risk. Call it Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, or just Islamic State, the group has become more voracious with each passing month. Experts worldwide, who claim to have understood the phenomenon of terrorism, are left scratching their heads in bewilderment and frustration with the meteoric rise o...

Major challenges facing the UAE include population growth and a return of liquidity to the markets, but the pickup in oil price will help the economy, according to Sheikh Khaled Bin Zayed Al Nehayan. "Oil is expected to remain between $70 and $100 [per barrel]. If it stays in that range, it means that a lot of the government projects will continue on schedule", he said in 2011. The interview was published in the March 2011 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.

Being open to investors and different communities is key to fostering growth in this Latin American state, according to Ricardo Martinelli. "If interest rates, which have a tendency to go up do that, that presents some challenge to us. But, we have ample resources to weather out any difficulties", he said in 2011. The interview was published in the March 2011 issue of the Dubai-based magazine TRENDS - An International Magazine on Arab Affairs. Below is the jpeg file of the TRENDS magazine.