The Royal Institute of Strategic Studies, which has unique and various affiliations and competencies, hosted the 10th Arab Thought and Knowledge Forum under the theme of "The Arab World and Facing New Global Challenges" in Marrakesh, Morocco. Many research and study centers, leading thinkers and experts from various Arab countries participated in the 10th edition that came after nine successful editions held in various Arab cities.
Years ago, I wrote a book about this subject and expressed the wave of thinking that we need. It should be driven by the spirit of criticism, mature, and enlightening logic that beats the wrong and failed conflicts and questions, and deep contradictions.
In addition, this wave should be balanced between static and dynamic vision which examines and impacts the self through combining analysis, synthesis, criticism, reform, methodology, and vision which helps in creating an enlightening and logical Arabic system of thinking and a shining system of knowledge that brings the Arabic mind to life once again.
The sessions were characterized by a deep and comprehensive analysis of Arabic and global issues. The participants concentrated on what should be strategic as the goal of a strategy is reflecting the political target (including the national target, national interests, and political guide), alongside the factors that form the best strategic environment.
This strategy should have a comprehensive vision, but it needs to be applied in a certain limited field as it is concerned with the future by analyzing the problems to determine the ways of avoiding them. This mission is accomplished by accurate evaluation of the strategic environment for selecting the essential strategic factors that successfully assist the interests of the state.
This strategy also results in a logical review of the ways, the methods, and the goals that could lead to a bright future by analyzing those factors. Therefore, the strategy of the meetings of those leading experts that are deeply specialized in several fields addresses the supreme interests of the states while including the flexibility and the ability to adapt, in addition to correct planning.
The Marrakesh meeting came up with several important recommendations as to the following: the necessity of enhancing the collaborative Arab work by the leading Arab states in a world based on ambiguity, concern, unknown, and uncertainty. This required setting joint strategies in the political, diplomatic, and security fields, in addition to setting active means for forming unified situations that assist the interests of the Arab states and enhance their strategic stand before the current and future major global powers to prevent their interference.
One of the recommendations was to establish a supreme Arabic organization concerned with providing recommendations for convergence between institutions and to end the ideological difference between them which will help in forming a unified Arab family.
Another recommendation was to set an Arabic agreement to end the escalations between the Arab countries through peaceful methods without violating the UN Convention or surrendering to negative impacts by the international state members of the world organization. Therefore, a new approach, which is based on strengthening the home front and enhancing regional cooperation by preserving the lands of the Arab countries and common destiny, should be adopted to resist any security threats.
further recommendation was to develop new strategies in the Arab countries accordingly with the recent security updates in the digital era with all its changes in the power balances. This requires concentrating on cyber security as it has become linked to the issues of political stability and social and economic development, in addition to strengthening the ability of the Arab countries to produce cyber weapons to achieve their goals.
Activating the economic integration between the Arab states for creating wider markets, and forming regional chains of value, alongside creating joint economic programs such as an Arabic Marshall project that includes various Arab sectors to improve the Arab chains of value for achieving sufficiency, and supremely in several strategic fields as the following:
- Food and water security which requires solving the issues of water scarcity and fulfilling food security.
- Health security which includes medicines and vaccine production, therefore, the participants praised the project of vaccine manufacturing and packing vaccines that was launched by King Mohamed VI of Morroco in July 2021 which will help in achieving supremely in the field of vaccine production locally and regionally.
- Scientific, technological, and industrial development
- Renewable energy sources, and the national sources of energy
One of the most important recommendations is making the initiatives of the alliance to be a strong, comprehensive and strategic bloc to ensure the importance of strengthening economic, cultural, social, media, and security ties at the level of the peoples of the bloc's member states, in addition to deepening the cooperation in the security field and forming a mutual market for developing the economic relations in a world characterized by ambiguity, concern, unknown and uncertainty.
Contributed by: Rana Atef
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