Seeking 'infinite possibilities' in Detroit
Arabs and Americans prepare to convene an economic forum with broad goals.
Dina Ezzat reports
This week, the Arab League is stepping up the final preparations to convene the first US-Arab Economic Forum (USAEF). On 28 September in Detroit, Michigan, Bahraini Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and US Secretary of State Colin Powell will inaugurate the USAEF. The USAEF is sponsored by the Arab League and a group of Arab-American organisations. Along with the political dignitaries and many journalists, participants in the event will include hundreds of Arab and American entrepreneurs.
Judging by its title, the conference is primarily seeking to encourage closer Arab-American economic cooperation. "There are so many chances for closer cooperation," said Nasser Baydoun, member of the Detroit-based Arab-American Chamber of Commerce, a key organiser.
Participants will debate a long list of economic issues, including economic opportunities in the Arab world, the course of human development in the US and Arab countries, and the potential for Arab-American cooperation in the fields of information and communication technology.
However, as indicated by the slogan of the USAEF, the objectives are not merely economic. "One world, two cultures, infinite possibilities" connotes a cultural and possibly political affair.
As such, a wide range of issues are on the agenda of the USAEF. These include the role of Americans of Arab origin in American society and their countries of birth or ancestry, the women's rights movement in the US and the Arab world, and the road towards dialogue between Arabs and Americans.
"This event is about asserting the importance of Arab- American relations and putting the necessary effort to cement these relations," said Rehab Qanawati, head of the Arab Migration Department in the Arab League.
Arab-American relations have been the focus of much attention and debate on both sides of the Atlantic for the past two years. The 11 September 2001 attacks against the US provoked numerous questions and problems in Arab-American relations. The attacks equally affected Americans of Arab origin. After being seen as a "model minority" group for many years, the status and future of these citizens was suddenly full of more questions than answers. Two years after the attacks these questions are still hanging over the lives of Arabs of American origin.
According to Qanawati, USAEF is a "serious effort" to find positive answers to these questions. Referring to the forum's slogan, Qanawati argued, Arabs and Americans need to agree that they are living in a single world even though they possess different cultures.
Meanwhile, the role of Americans of Arab origins in helping both sides to build bridges is going to be highlighted during the USAEF. These Americans of Arab origins are seen, at least on the Arab side, as the link between the two worlds.
The Arab League plans to convene the USAEF once every 18 months. The next forum will be in an Arab capital.
At the end of the USAEF, the Arab League may declare its nomination of an Arab commissioner for migration affairs. This job was created over a year ago by Arab League Secretary- General Amr Moussa who stressed a closer rapport with the communities of Arab migrants across the globe "both for cultural and economic purposes". However, a commissioner has never been appointed. The job, according to Arab League sources, is likely to go to a Lebanese. As such the Lebanese government must submit a list of candidates. The Arab League has been pressing Lebanon to finalise the list so that the new commissioner can be appointed by Moussa and assume his or her responsibilities expeditiously, in view of the expected increase in activities related to Arab migrants. A long list of the commissioner's activities is being composed, including a possible Arab- European migration conference next year.
The issue of migration is gaining attention in the Arab world. From 2-4 September the Arab League in cooperation with the International Organisation of Migration (IOM) held the first Regional Conference on Arab Migration in a Globalised World. It offered a forum for decision-makers from Arab states and international experts to discuss their priorities in order to formulate national policies concerning Arab migration.
Participants to the three-day meeting explored the new context of globalisation, the unprecedented openness of labour and commercial markets, and the freedom of information for individuals. They also explored potential new mechanisms to rationalise the mobility of Arab human resources at the regional level.
"However, our key issue here was really to activate inter- cultural dialogue and to introduce and spread the concept of complementary civilisations," commented Khaled Al-Weheshi, head of the Population Policies Department at the Arab League.
To serve this purpose the conference adopted a set of recommendations that are specifically tailored to strengthen relations with Arab migrant communities. These included increasing the volume of communications between Arabs at home and abroad and establishing relations with the organisations that represent Arab immigrant communities.
