The Role of Think Tanks in Drawing the Future in the MENA Region

In addition Amb. Saad participated in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Summit  about “The Role of Think Tanks in Drawing the Future in the MENA Region” which  convened from 19 to 21 September 2017, at the Dead Sea, Jordan. At the invitation conveyed to the Executive Directors of Think Tanks in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region, Ambassador Ezzat Saad has participated in the activities of the Summit, held under the auspices of HRH Prince Al-Hassan Bin Talal, and was divided into five sessions on:

• Meeting the Challenge of Extremism and Radicalization in the MENA Region

• Economic Development and Cooperation.

• Why Think Tanks Matter More Than Ever Before in MENA.

• Regional Security

• Helping Build a Better Tomorrow: The Role of MENA’s Think Tanks

During the 4th (iv) plenary session, which was dedicated to the theme of Regional Security, titled “The potential of Making Peace … Addressing both Traditional and Non-traditional Challenges in the Region”, Ambassador Ezzat Saad emphasized that security, in its various dimensions, has increasingly become a challenge for the region and the world at large, and there is no short-term nor simple solutions to the security dilemma in the region, which makes it imperative to look for consensual solutions to all disputes amongst States, especially in the Arab World, in order to confront regional forces seeking to destabilize the region.

The Summit concluded with a number of important recommendations in relation to revitalizing the role of the Research and Thought Centers and increasing their effectiveness.