السكان و التنمية في الدول العربية
Article
Arab countries represent an important region among the developing countries. It is characterized with higher demographic growth. The latter has given rise to two serious problems –––– unemployment and emigration. Both are constant and on unmitigated scale. Ostensibly, Arab countries are believed to have passed through a crucial phase of human development. The latter is, in fact, manifested largely in demographic growth. Arab population for instance, ranged 306,5 billions in the year 2004. Its demographic growth rate during the period, 2000 –––– 2004, was 2.25 %. Compared to the world nations, Arabs were counted as the third largest nation in the world. Despite its ostensible human development, however, Arab counties are encountering twin problems of prime significance –––– unemployment and emigration. The latter is the consequent to the former. As such, Arab world has remained deficient to rise to the status of great economic power. This problem still persists. Unemployment is, in fact, a grave challenge that the Arab countries are confronting in the first half of the 21st century. As stands now, almost18 billions Arabs are unemployed. Among the manifold factors contributing to the steady rise of unemployment rate, the most decisive is economic disintegration. Prior to the Gulf War of 1991, Arab markets enjoyed some kind of relative economic integration. Gulf War, however, changed the situation. It brought economic depression in Arab countries. Asian employment replaced Arab employment in the Arab Gulf countries. As a consequence, Arab world witnesses the dominance of Asian workers. At their own, the latter pose a grave challenge to the Arab Gulf societies. If they secure their civil and political rights, they may pose a threat to the future social and political life of above societies. Problem of Arab unemployment, therefore, leads to many problems. In the conclusive section, the present study offers some solutions. The following are salient: 1. Cooperation between Arab Gulf states on boosting Arab employment should be enhanced. 2. Asian employment should be replaced with Arab employment with gradual steps of precautions. 3. Arab economic integration should be achieved. This requires the use of rational management policies. A common market of Gulf Cooperation Council Countries (G.C.C.C) should be an idealized vision.