The Political Economy of Climate Change in Arab Countries

The Arab Human Development Report Research Paper Series is a medium for sharingrecent research commissioned to inform the Arab Human Development Report, and furtherresearch in the field of human development. The AHDR Research Paper Series is aquick-disseminating, informal publication whose titles could subsequently be revised forpublication as articles in professional journals or chapters in books. The authors includeleading academics and practitioners from the Arab countries and around the world. Thefindings, interpretations and conclusions are strictly those of the authors and do not necessarilyrepresent the views of UNDP or United Nations Member States. The present paperwas authored by John Waterbury*.* President Emeritus and Professor of Political StudiesThe American University of BeirutI am grateful to Alan Richards, Jeannie Sowers, and Neda Zawahri for comments on an earlier draft of thisstudy. They are in no way responsible for any of the views or inadvertent errors that may lie in the text.