Economic Freedom the Real Antidote to Arab Unrest

Contact Your Elected Officials

By Ambassador Terry Miller ~ The Washington Times – The recent attacks on U.S. diplomatic outposts in the Middle East are certainly disappointing, but the U.S. still has a big opportunity to exert a positive influence in the region. An often overlooked contributor to the regionโ€™s highly combustible condition is a pervasive lack of economic opportunity and economic freedom. Our free market system is just what the region needs.

To date, the U.S. has struggled to find a policy that can simultaneously promote freedom and stability in the Arab world. The focus on democracy has produced little success. The jury is still out on the ultimate character of new regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya, but the recent assaults on U.S. missions show that volatility and anti-Americanism remains high there.

Governments are tottering in Syria and Yemen, and massive U.S. interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan have failed to fully secure either peace or security. Thirty years of efforts to influence post-revolutionary Iran have left that country an international pariah and potential nuclear threat to its neighbors. Itโ€™s not a pretty record.
The nub of the problem is that purely political revolutions are inherently destabilizing. From the reign of terror that followed the French Revolution right through the โ€œdemocraticallyโ€ installed Communist and Nazi regimes of 20th century Europe to the postcolonial dictators dominating Africa today, it is an unfortunate truth that political revolutions lead as often to tears as to utopia. We are crying in the Middle East today.
Economic liberalization offers a better path to revolutionary change. Free markets, based on the voluntary decisions of individuals, facilitate win-win transactions. Both sides gain, or else the interactions donโ€™t happen. Free markets require no central guide, and no government plan. When individuals can decide for themselves what to do, there is little need for collective action. You donโ€™t need a mob, or an officious and corrupt government bureaucrat, to influence the outcome or defend your interests.

It was an economic grievance that inspired Mohamed Bouazizi, a young Tunisian street vendor, to set himself on fire and, thus, spark the conflagration we know as the Arab Spring. What had frustrated Bouaziziโ€™s attempts to earn a living was government regulation and corruption. The humiliation and helplessness he experienced is inflicted daily on millions of Arabs who live without economic freedom and any hope of betterment.
The Middle East lags in many areas of economic freedom. Overall unemployment in the region tops 10 percent, and for youth, itโ€™s much worse. More than 25 percent of those younger than 25 canโ€™t find jobs.

A chapter in the latest Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom explored the link between corruption and terrorism in the region and concluded that the motivation for terrorism is likely โ€œless about Islam against Western values and more about revenge against corrupt regimes in the Middle East.โ€

If that is true, we are not going to help the people of the Middle East, or indeed preserve our own security, by fomenting political revolution, or by helping dictators resist it. We might succeed, however, by helping put Arab societies on the path to economic freedom. We can lower our own barriers to trade and encourage governments in the Middle East to do likewise. We can encourage reforms to open up investment, create jobs and empower individuals economically.

The American free-market system is unmatched in scale and in its commitment to individual freedom. Through it, we have created the most prosperous society in the history of the world. This โ€” more than our democracy, our respect for human rights or our military might โ€” is the face of America we need to show the struggling youth of the Middle East right now. Economic freedom wonโ€™t solve every problem in the region, but an economic revolution there can bring immediate and lasting benefits without inspiring resentment or violence. That is surely a worthy goal for American policy, and one with a fair chance of success.
โ€ข Terry Miller is director of the Heritage Foundationโ€™s Center for International Trade and Economics and the think tankโ€™s Mark A. Kolokotrones Fellow in Economic Freedom.

First appeared in The Washington Times.

The Thinking Conservative
The Thinking Conservativehttps://www.thethinkingconservative.com/
The goal of THE THINKING CONSERVATIVE is to help us educate ourselves on conservative topics of importance to our freedom and our pursuit of happiness. We do this by sharing conservative opinions on all kinds of subjects, from all types of people, and all kinds of media, in a way that will challenge our perceptions and help us to make educated choices.

AI is Now an Existential Threat

We now see evidence that artificial intelligence is an existential threat to our future. It is coming to take American jobs!

With or without

The mullahs of Iran have been at war with the West, particularly the US, for half a century and Iran is also the worldโ€™s foremost champion of terrorism.

Artificial Intelligence Equals Awful Iniquities

WSJ article โ€œAI is Learning to Escape Human Controlโ€ said in 79 of 100 trials, the o3 AI code systems edited their own code to prevent human shutdown!

VIDEO: Deranged Feminist vs. Mating Ducks in Epic Public Meltdown

A middle-aged white lady lib harasses mating ducks to โ€œstop it!โ€ because the rough sex they enjoy appears non-consensual on the part of the female.

RFK Jr. Slashes ALL U.S. Funding For Bill Gatesโ€™ Global โ€˜Vaccine Allianceโ€™

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. recently pulled all U.S. government funding from Bill Gatesโ€™ Global โ€˜Vaccine Allianceโ€™ GAVI.

Musk Again Wades Into Politics, Calls GOP Bill โ€˜Insane and Destructiveโ€™

โ€œThe latest Senate draft bill will destroy millions of jobs in America and cause immense strategic harm to our country!โ€ Musk wrote in a Saturday post on X.

Nevada Seen as Case Study in Rapid Urban Sprawl Amid a Water Crisis

Nevadaโ€™s rapidly growing population has reached a critical intersection with the regionโ€™s worsening water crisis, according to experts.

US Streamlines Rule for Fining Illegal Immigrants, Will Issue Nearly $1,000 Daily Fines for Noncompliance

DHS and DOJ announced a new joint federal rule that streamlines the process of issuing fines for illegal immigrants, making it easier and more efficient.

Man Indicted on 12 Hate Crime Charges in Attack on Boulder Demonstration for Israeli Hostages

Boulder, CO man accused of hurling Molotov cocktails at demonstrators supporting Israeli hostages indicted by grand jury on 12 hate crime counts.

Canada-US Trade Talks Will End Until โ€˜Certain Taxesโ€™ Are Dropped, Trump Stresses

Trade discussions between Canada and the United States will end โ€œuntil such time as they drop certain taxes,โ€ U.S. President Trump said in an interview.

Trump Says US to Send Tariff Letters to Trade Partners Before July 9 Deadline

President Donald Trump said Sunday he will soon send letters to trading partners detailing the tariffs to be imposed on their exports to the United States.

Trump Says He Found a Buyer for TikTok

President Trump said he found a buyer for the Chinese-owned short video application TikTok, and that he will reveal the group in roughly two weeks.

Termination of โ€˜Wasteful Contractsโ€™ Saves US Government $470 Million Last Week: DOGE

Over the past seven days, various government agencies have terminated 312 โ€œwasteful contractsโ€ with a ceiling value of $2.8 billion, the DOGE said.
spot_img

Related Articles