Middle-East 2020 Project: To invent a peaceful Middle-East for 2020

“For War, you just need a Past to remember. For Peace, you need a Future to dream of”

The current situation in the Middle East is showing the complete dead-end in which all interested parties have gone. Following a series of seminars in the regions in past years, and a series of debates conducted on the topic, it appears that one of the main obstacle on the road for a peaceful settlement of conflicts in the region is the inability of the past and current regional leaders to put forward a vision of what could be such a region in a peaceful context in a generation time.

Europe knows more than any other continent how much the ability to project a peaceful and prosperous common future is a key factor enabling populations and firtst of all the young generations to get away from past quarrels, hatred and revenges.

For War, you just need a Past to remember. For Peace, you need to a Future to dream of.

Therefore, Europe 2020, the upcoming European generations think-tank, launched the project: ’Middle East 2020’.

This project officially started on January 1st 2003 and will be completed by December 31st 2005, by the presentation of a set of scenarios and instruments serving a vision of a peaceful and prosperous Middle East region.

The result will specifically target the below 35 years old of the whole region (Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Syria).

It aims a providing the up coming generations of the Middle East with credible alternatives to war and fights and will use the good will from the region and from Europe and the USA, the energy civil society and the power of Internet.

The process will involve all interested citizens and civil society operators (associations, foundations, universities, medias, companies, …) from the region, the European Union and the USA.

The funding will come from two sides: volunteer work and private donations/sponsoring. No government money will be accepted (neither from international institutions).

When everything has failed, only imagination can help us out.

Premier rendez-vous : 27-28 avril, “Middle-East 2020 – Shaping up alternative visions”, a seminar to be held during Ties Miami Week 2004.

To know more about the Middle-East 2020 project : see the Website