Abstract
Historically, attempts at regional integration in the Middle East and North Africa have not proven successful, and the region lags in its economic integration, both formal and actual. Arguably, in no other world region has the project of regional economic integration been so politically driven by the ideas of region- building and the achievement of peace and stability through trade, rather than by rational economic logic. Nevertheless, recent years have given rise to circumstances conducive to increased economically driven integration in the Gulf Cooperation Council, and new regional integration initiatives that have a chance of success such as the Agadir Agreement and the Greater Arab Free Trade Area. This chapter provides a survey of past and present bilateral and regional integration initiatives in the region, as a benchmark for what may in the future come to be understood as a Relance of Arab economic integration.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | International Handbook on the Economics of Integration, Volume I |
| Subtitle of host publication | General Issues and Regional Groups |
| Publisher | Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd. |
| Pages | 504-517 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781849805995 |
| ISBN (Print) | 9781848443709 |
| State | Published - 31 Jan 2011 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© Miroslav N. Jovanovic 2011.
Keywords
- Agadir Agreement
- Arab League
- GAFTA
- Gulf Cooperation Council
- Middle East
- North Africa
- Regional trade agreements
