A Promising Option.docVIP

A Promising Option 　　When it erupted five years ago， the Arab Spring was expected to bring about massive changes to the political， social and economic systems in the Arab world. 　　However， after series of violent protests， years of civil conflicts and regime changes， the social situation in the region has for the most part not yet improved. What is more， as a result of the power vacuum， extremist and terrorist forces―the rapid rise of the so-called “Islamic State” group （ISIS） in particular―have taken hold. The “Arab Spring”has since been dubbed by some scholars as the “Arab Winter.” 　　Nevertheless， while the Middle East often gets caught in bouts of chaos， there is support for regional economic cooperation among some countries， and a consensus that the situation must improve. The Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road proposed by China， also known as the Belt and Road initiative， can provide the Arab world a new impetus for social development and economic revival， as the region lies at the important intersection of the two historic routes. 　　At a recent seminar on Arab countries’development held at Beijing Foreign Studies University （BFSU）， participating Chinese observers claimed that the aspiration for the improvement of people’s wellbeing in Arab countries after years of social turmoil is fueling an embrace of the initiative， which has the potential to drive regional economic expansion. 　　 Deep-seated problem 　　Observers said the prolonged turmoil in the Middle East is rooted in decades of economic stagnation due to their weak industrial bases， which has resulted in high unemployment and severe wealth inequality. 　　According to an estimate by the International Labor Organization， the youth unemployment rate in the Middle East as a whole will increase to 29 percent in 2016. Yang Guang， Director General of the Institute of West Asian and African Studies with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences （CASS）， said large populations of