Globalizing the Arab World

I couldn't get any sleep, so I thought I'd write for a change. Recently, I've been thinking a lot about the future and I'm optimistic. I'm actually looking forward to going back to Egypt sometime after graduation, at least if not immediately because I realize that it is once more becoming the land of opportunity, at least if its a blessing in disguise. What's interesting is that I see the complaints of every Egyptian to be an opportunity. I feel like the war, corruption, and inequality in the Arab World to be an opportunity. If you think about it mathematically, its as if there's a problem waiting for a solution and the one who finds the solution wins the prize, be it money, the Noble Peace Prize, or what have you....

I feel like there's a void of goods and services in the Middle East just waiting to be filled. The only problem is that our people are just so disconnected from the rest of the world. I can honestly attest that I feel absolutely no cultural shock when traveling from America to Turkey to China, economically speaking. This is a globalized worlds and the markets in each country should be identical. Unfortunately, I don't feel the same in Egypt. Egypt, when it comes to media, industry, markets, etc... is behind. For example, I was watching MTV Turkey today and couldn't distinguish between the Turkish and American music videos... at times the Turkish ones blew my mind by how well they were choreographed. In comparison, Egypt's media is simply lacking, except for Orascom's channel, which I love! The point is, there is such a dichotomy that's needs some mending.

This is when we step in. When I say we, I refer to the youth of the Arab World. The lucky few opportunists that have made it big in the Arab World were the ones that saw this void and filled it in by connecting the world to their countries. In Egypt, the Smart Village is just an example of kids who did a really good job of connecting Egypt with the rest of the IT world. I believe that the fastest way to bring about this connection with the rest of the world will be through technology!

I might be biased when saying this because of my engineering background, but I believe that technology, throughout history, has been what made empires ascend or collapse. But more than ever, with the advent of the Internet, people can connect to the world and shape their lives. The internet is not only the best means of expression, it allows interactivity between people at the furthest corners of the world in a matter of seconds. This has made competition so intense, but this is where the opportunity comes in. There is barely any opportunity in the Arab World. When Western markets are almost completely saturated, it is the emerging markets of the Arab World that are still in needs of goods and services. It is for this reason that through Internet and technology that we can bring the globe to those who might not otherwise have anyway of engaging with the world.

Its almost as if I've just had an epiphany, but I believe the Internet is the most powerful tool out there. It is for this reason that I shall strive to upgrade my skill set to accommodate the future demands of this new market I call home...