A tale of two sessions as show of Middle East optimism is followed by dire discussion of war and displacement

ANew Security Architecture for the Middle East was the title of a session on the second day of the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum.

The title was promising, with the potential to carve out a new way forward for the region, and yet it was inevitably caught up in the realities.

The tone of the session could not be more different than that of the previous day, titled The Economic Outlook of the Middle East.

While discussions on security are often more dire than economic ones, the differences between the two discussions were marked.

While discussing the economy, opportunities like the green transition, technological development and the region’s youth were all mentioned by the panellists. When asked about what opportunities exist for the region, Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al Jadaan beamed and responded: “Our youth … and technology.”

In the session on security architecture, topics such as Iran’s rocket attacks on Iraq, continued Palestinian occupation and refugees did not give much room for hope. Responding to a question on whether re-establishing ties with Syria’s President Bashar Al Assad was “a good thing”, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Al Safadi responded, “I know what isn’t a good thing, and that is maintaining the status quo” in Syria.

When asked about whether peace with Israel was possible, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan stressed the importance of peace once the Palestinian conflict was resolved, reminding the audience of the

Saudi-sponsored Arab peace initiative in 2001.

His answer was that of a diplomat, but also indicated how one of the oldest conflicts of the region remains in crisis without a clear way out.

A decade ago, Davos buzzed with discussions about “change in the Middle East”.

This week, the region is no longer centre stage, with the focus on Ukraine and the economic woes facing the world. However, the real change is that Arab ministers are discussing economic opportunity, gender parity and scientific advancement.

While most of the ministers are from the GCC and Egypt, the sense that stability can lead to innovation and growth is evident.

However, those who continue to suffer from war or displacement, outside of Europe, were even more absent from this year’s annual meeting.

Topics such as rocket attacks, Palestinian occupation and refugees did not give much room for hope