Arab Knowledge Report 2009: Towards Productive

within bounds that do not hinder businessgrowth and provision of employment. Inspite of weaknesses–which must be takensuitably seriously–it is possible to outline anumber of strong points that will bolsterthe Arab countries’ attempts to make idealuse of technology and its applications.Among the prominent strong points are:• The enthusiasm of Arab politicalleaderships to give impetus totechnological development.• The availability of the necessaryexpertise and reference cadres–thanksto the regional and internationalconferences 45 dedicated to promotingand spreading technology–to ensurethe formation of an Arab strategicvision to indigenise and make good useof ICT in the Arab countries.• The investment opportunities madeavailable by oil wealth, and morespecifically those that enable the region’seconomies to make the transformationto knowledge-based economies.• The youthfulness of the human capital,which will without doubt be able tokeep pace with global developments andmeet the ambitions of the peoples ofthe region when employed in projectsto indigenise and develop technologyand knowledge production.CONCLUSIONThe dilemmas of Arab development are,as we have said, epistemological in essence.The response to these challenges, althoughrequiring the acquisition of basicallytechnological capabilities, will neverbear fruit if restricted to these alone.In the first place, this requires specificpolitical choices. The efforts directedat the deepening and broadening of thescope of knowledge content in the Arabcountries demand the optimal use ofavailable technologies within a strategicperspective congruent with comprehensivesustainable development goals aimed atreducing inequality in all its forms. At thesame time, they require affiliation withArab internal, regional, and internationalinitiatives 46 that endeavour to developmodern technologies and adapt and applythem to participate actively in the drawingup of the aims and directions of suchtechnologies. However, none of this willlead to ideal outcomes unless, from athird angle, they are linked to persistentaction to formulate national initiativesthat build, complement, and support thecomponents of the knowledge economyand society. Countries such as Finland,Norway, Ireland, Malaysia, and SouthKorea have recently succeeded in utilisingthe advance in the various branches ofICT and the innovations based on thisadvance. They have achieved this throughnational and sector-based policies andinitiatives aimed at bringing about majorqualitative and integrated transformationsin their own capabilities, rather thanresorting to gradual and piecemealimprovement in their capabilities indisparate directions. At the same time,these countries have introduced wholesalereforms encompassing the institutionalcadres who implement ICT activities andthe innovations arising from them. Theyhave also taken a second look at manyof the legislative, regulatory, and legalframeworks that control these activities,the resources devoted to supporting them,and the approaches followed in takingpivotal decisions in this respect. Theexperiences of these countries also indicatethe necessity of adopting mechanismsthat permit ongoing coordination ofinstitutional capacity within nationalborders in parallel with serious attempts toratify active and effective international andregional alliances to produce the scientificand technological knowledge connectedwith these technologies. These allianceswill, in the end, lead to the utilisation ofthe latest knowledge within new productsand services that can be used to confrontthe competition raging on the worldmarket.The chasm that divides the developingArab countries from the advanced nationsdoes not justify the adoption by theformer of the position of “spectator” andThe dilemmas ofArab developmentare epistemological inessence. The responseto these challenges,although requiringthe acquisition ofbasically technologicalcapabilities, will neverbear fruit if restrictedto these aloneThe chasm thatdivides the developingArab countries fromthe advanced nationsdoes not justify theadoption by theformer of the positionof “spectator” andpassive recipient ofwhatever knowledgeis thrown at themINFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES IN THE ARAB COUNTRIES173