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Economic Stabilisation of the MENA Region: ‘Old’ vs. ‘New’ Actors

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Stabilising the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa

Part of the book series: Middle East Today ((MIET))

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Abstract

The economic dimension of stabilisation should not be underestimated, not in the least because better economic prospects are arguably the only way for the region to find sustainable stability. With this objective in mind, Western actors have tried to create the right political and governance conditions for a private sector to flourish and economic growth to happen—in line with their own liberal market views. That static approach is currently being challenged as new actors, in particular China and Gulf actors, are promoting a different model that emphasises economic instruments of stabilisation, including bilateral loans, investments by state-led companies and large construction projects—reflecting their views on economic development. As a consequence, it is in this realm that the differentiation between these ‘traditional’ and ‘new’ actors comes most to the fore.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ministry of Defence, The Hague, The Netherlands

    Saskia van Genugten

Authors
  1. Saskia van Genugten
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with Neil Quilliam

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Emirates Diplomatic Academy, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Victor Gervais

  2. Ministry of Defence, The Hague, The Netherlands

    Saskia van Genugten

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van Genugten, S., with Neil Quilliam. (2020). Economic Stabilisation of the MENA Region: ‘Old’ vs. ‘New’ Actors. In: Gervais, V., van Genugten, S. (eds) Stabilising the Contemporary Middle East and North Africa. Middle East Today. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-25229-8_9

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