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Inside the Middle East
October 14, 2010
Posted: 1518 GMT

The Gulf has one of the fastest-growing and youngest populations in the world. Its countries are also among the top spenders on education, according to an Economist Intelligence Unit report – "The GCC in 2020: The Gulf and its People."

The report highlights a problem that Gulf Countries are acutely aware of: "Rapid population growth will ... create a large pool of labour that may be difficult to absorb into the private sector, owing to mismatches not only of skills, but also of expectations of wages and working conditions. Ongoing education reforms will help, but will not solve these mismatches within the next 10 years."

The Education Project conference in Bahrain sought to address those challenge and others. Bahrain, unlike its wealthier neighbours, is not awash with gas and oil. It knows its future lies in its ability to transition to a post-oil economy. Education will be, participants said,  essential to increase economic diversification and national growth.

CNN's Mohammed Jamjoom moderated the opening debate "What does it mean to be an educated adult in today's knowledge economy?"

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Filed under: Bahrain •Inside The Middle East


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Smith in Oregon   October 19th, 2010 5:01 am ET

Israel has pushed America into creating an enormous arm's war across the entire Middle East which really negates other priority's that Arabic nations have at this time.

Israel has very limited natural resources, a tiny population and hundreds of years of blood feuds with the Arabic people further push the Zionist agenda of playing a major role across the Middle East while they become further isolated and largely ignored as mere minor players in the decisions of the Arabic nations.

University Rector   October 19th, 2010 9:15 pm ET

Smith says, "Israel has very limited natural resources, a tiny population and hundreds of years of blood feuds with the Arabic people.."

Actually the problem started at the turn of the last century, when the British empire encouraged European Jews to take Arabic land. The problem is merely 100 years old.

miriam   October 20th, 2010 12:46 pm ET

Smith,

The Soviets introduced arms into the ME long before the US became involved in any of the various regional conflicts.

Conflict in the region pre-dated any formal educational concerns and existed while most of the population of the ME was illiterate.

Indoctrination rather than education has been the main method of knowledge transmission throughout the Arab world and it continues today with transmission of myths and disinformation all that more easy in today's technologically connected world.

Israel does have limited natural resources and a small population relative to the Arab world, however it's residents put a strong emphasis on education and freedom of expression and discussion. They have a strong national identity, familiar with their religious, historical and cultural links to the Holy Land and most are not going to be pushed around by the bullyish rhetoric coming out of the anti-Israel bigots.

The Jewish people have experienced centuries of discrimination and are finally in a position to defend themselves.

miriam   October 23rd, 2010 5:38 pm ET

Uni,

At the turn of the last century, there were virtually no Arab lands.

They were all occupied by the Ottoman Empire, apart from the Nejd region of Arabia.

Smith in Oregon   October 24th, 2010 11:56 pm ET

Recently a Zionist hit piece of propaganda was released to the western news media pointing at Iran's President's recent visit to Afghanistan to help in the peace treaty discussions, as delivering bags of money to Hamid Karzai for political favors.

What the Zionist propaganda machine doesn't mention is that the US Military has been doling out a great many bags and pallets of freshly minted 100 dollar bills freely supplied by the American taxpayers to Hamid Karzai, his staff, drug lords, war lords and even the Taliban as bribes. YES OF COURSE THE US MILITARY IS DOING THAT ALSO!

That article appears to be a Zionist written hit piece as Apartheid Israel continues to try to drum up support for them to assassinate the Iranian President and push America into attacking Iran.

Experienced journalists have photographed massive US Military cargo planes delivering pallets of money as bribes landing in Dubai where it is placed into the bank accounts by the Karzai Clan and others. I wonder why the news media is being prevented from showing that activity going on?

Meanwhile the Karzai Clan are being paid many Billions in dollars exporting Heroin out of Afghanistan and at the same time American taxpayers are being forced to pay their government payrolls!!! Republican neo-con's and Israel's Zionists call that a win-win, go figure!

John A   October 25th, 2010 6:31 am ET

Miriam, at the turn of the century there was no Israel.

Before the Ottoman empire there were Arabic lands. Actually during the Ottaman empire the Turks occupied Arabic land.

Before the Ottoman's there was no Israel.

Any chance you can defend the fraud of Israel with a more credible reply? No didn't think you could.

miriam   October 25th, 2010 8:20 pm ET

John A,

Following your argument, the Jewish homeland has been occupied by the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Byzantines, Arabs, Crusaders, Mongols, Ottomans, British, Egyptians, and Jordanians.

Your sudden interest in history will teach you that there was an independent Jewish state in the Holy Land refered to as Israel and that throughout the various empirical control, it was never any other independent state, but remained the centre of Jewish religion, culture and history and the Jewish people's rightful claim for nationhood was never lost.

miriam   October 25th, 2010 8:37 pm ET

Smith,

It's interesting that you now confirm that the US doesn't spend all its tax-payers' money on Israel and that Dubai is a major centre for a variety of international criminal activity.

As for all your anti-Zionist slander, that's all conspiracy and myth, although it is considered educational material in some circles.


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