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An Economic Ultimatum for the Arab World
(Project Syndicate) Marwan Muasher - Many Arab governments were able to sustain inefficient economies for decades because they were propped up by oil revenues. However, these governments fostered a culture of dependency, rather than encouraging self-reliance and entrepreneurship to expand the private sector. Now that oil prices are declining and will likely continue to remain low, Saudi Arabia, for example, is shifting its foreign-aid paradigm away from grants. The kingdom has long provided financial support to Egypt, Jordan, and other countries in the region, so this shift will put pressure on those governments to pursue private-sector growth to improve their own countries' economic performance. The writer, a former foreign minister and deputy prime minister of Jordan, is Vice President for Studies at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.