View of part of the Fujairah Corniche and the Hajar Mountains in the Background

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Sheikh Mohammed Urges Arabs to Invest in Education not Militarization

On the eve of President Obama’s Middle Eastern visit, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum offers counsel to the Arab world:

“The total expenditure on conflicts in the Middle East in the last six decades has exceeded $3 trillion. In fact, the Middle East is the world's most militarized region. And how much do we spend on education? The per capita expenditure of our region's 22 nations has shrunk in the last 15 years to 10% from 20% of what the world's 30 wealthiest countries spend.”

“We in the United Arab Emirates are dedicated to a new education paradigm, notwithstanding some recent setbacks on account of the world financial crisis. We're urging our Arab brethren to do the same.”

Education vs, Extremism, WSJ, 3 June 2009.

Dr Geoff Pound

Image: HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum.