Since the 9/11 attacks, the Arab world’s relative economic, social, and political underdevelopment has been a topic of near-constant international concern. In a landmark 2002 report, the UN Development Program (UNDP) concluded that Arab countries lagged behind much of the world in development indicators such as political freedom, scientific progress, and the rights of women. Under U.S. President George W. Bush, this analysis helped drive the “freedom agenda,” which aimed to democratize the Middle East—by force if necessary—in order to eradicate the underdevelopment and authoritarianism that some officials in Washington believed were the root causes of terrorism. Bush’s successor, Barack Obama, criticized one of the cornerstones of the freedom agenda—the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003—but he shared Bush’s diagnosis.
Directions:
In this assignment you will analyze the UN Development Program's assessment of the sustainable development goals for the Middle East. These goals are designed to increase the indicators of a modern free society. You are to answer the following question by summarizing and analyzing the charts provided below and then writing a multi-paragraph essay.
Question: What does the report consider the major improvements and the major failures and challenges of the Arab nations?
Introduction
With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, world leaders have committed to coherent and comprehensive global action for sustainable development. The agenda lays out the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), for which signatory countries are accountable to their citizens, including the voluntary pledge of leaving no one behind.
Citizens are important agents for achieving the SDGs, and states have obligations to their citizens. But the way the roles of citizens and state institutions translate into practice has implications for different people and groups who risk being excluded by the state in delivering on the SDGs. And the failure of the state to meet its obligations can contribute to inequality, marginalization and exclusion.
Building inclusive societies has been a challenge in Arab countries, and the limitations in inclusion have become more acute since 2011, as the relationship between citizens and the state—and among various social groups—has deteriorated in some countries. Despite different governance structures, all Arab countries manifest serious fault lines in modern notions of citizenship. |
Leave no one behind
As we embark on this great collective journey, we pledge that no one will be left behind. Recognizing that the dignity of the human person is fundamental, we wish to see the Goals and targets met for all nations and peoples and for all segments of society. And we will endeavor to reach the furthest behind first (2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development). |
The starting point of this paper is that the Arab region’s human development fault lines have grown more complex since 2011—and deepened in several countries. Today many people live insecure lives, more people live under persistent pressures that inhibit them from realizing their potential as human beings, and too many lives are cut short as armed conflicts take their grim toll. If the ongoing conflicts are not resolved and demographic projections of faster population growth in crisis countries are realized, 40 percent of the people in Arab countries will live in crisis and conflict in 2030, when the SDGs should be achieved (figure 1).
Achieving the SDGs in Arab countries thus requires addressing the most debilitating development problems related to citizenship in a region where the relations between the state and society remain deeply fraught and contested amid political, social and economic fragility. Given the importance of understanding, and potentially explaining, manifestations of exclusion and inequality, the link between citizenship and human development needs to be further explored.
Achieving the SDGs in Arab countries thus requires addressing the most debilitating development problems related to citizenship in a region where the relations between the state and society remain deeply fraught and contested amid political, social and economic fragility. Given the importance of understanding, and potentially explaining, manifestations of exclusion and inequality, the link between citizenship and human development needs to be further explored.
Analyze the following charts to answer the question. Click on the chart to zoom in.
Essay Grading Rubric
Analyze and organize the charts into three groups - Success, Failure, Challenge then complete the requirements below:
25 points total
- Introduction Paragraph - describe the background and context of the UN Development report for the Middle East (5 pts)
- Thesis Statement - provide a thesis that answers the question and will be supported by evidence from the charts (5 pts)
- 1st Body Paragraph - summarize the success of Middle East nations in modernizing their societies (5 pts)
- 2nd Body Paragraph - summarize the failures nations have had in solving problems (5 pts)
- 3rd Body Paragraph - discuss the challenges facing nations in the Middle East in regard to their attempts to modernize (5pts)
25 points total