CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Joint Economic, Social, Environmental, and Tourism Ventures
THIS SECTION OF THE PAX MEDITERRANEO OUTLINES SPEcific projects that can help develop national and regional economies, build infrastructure, and protect the environment of the Mediterranean region. The purpose of these projects is to connect Mediterranean countries with one another physically, financially, and socially, thus providing the literal and metaphoric framework in which peace can develop. The projects I present here are but a few examples of the ventures that can be included in a Mediterranean peace agreement.
Before peacebuilding ventures can begin, formal relations between all parties must be established to open up channels of communication that were previously silent. Egypt is the only Arab country along the Mediterranean coastline that has formal diplomatic relations with Israel. With the advancement of a formal peace process, Israel should be able to establish formal diplomatic relations with Algeria, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and eventually, with the future Palestine. Initially, diplomatic relationships can involve exchanges of envoys, to be eventually upgraded to exchanges of ambassadors upon final negotiations of border disputes. Israeli commercial and cultural institutions can be represented in Algiers, Beirut, Damascus, Ramallah, and Tripoli. Corresponding Arab representation can be stationed in Tel Aviv until the question of Jerusalem is resolved.
With formal relations in place, Mediterranean countries can come together to establish an overall development framework for peacebuilding projects within conflict and post-conflict societies. The focus of peacebuilding should be the equitable distribution of 178 peace dividends—that is, the economic growth and increased standard of living for all segments of society that should come with peace.
Peacebuilding projects in the Pax Mediterraneo fall broadly into four categories: economic, social, environmental, and tourism ventures. To best support cooperation, all projects can incorporate joint activity on the part of at least two societies—forging connections that may previously have been tenuous or nonexistent.
Economic Ventures
The economic element of the Pax Mediterraneo can outline joint peacebuilding projects that aim to develop cross-border infrastructure and to narrow the socioeconomic gaps between poor and rich nations. The Mediterranean Basin is a typically heterogeneous neighborhood, comprising a prosperous north, a developing south, and struggling economies in between, as evidenced in Figure 1.
To help balance these figures, a regional economy can be developed that emphasizes the involvement of post-conflict economies and the Middle East. A group of donors led by the United States, the European Union, Japan, Canada, the World Bank, the IMF, the United Nations, and other regional actors can outline the goals and methodologies of the regional economy, as well as the rehabilitation of post-conflict economies—a sort of Marshall Plan for the Mediterranean. Rehabilitation can deal with the refurbishment of infrastructures destroyed during war, the planning of a socially inclusive peace economy that highlights unemployment and narrows the socioeconomic gap, and the free movement of goods and people. Seven of the twenty-two Mediterranean nations are members of the European Union; these seven countries can provide expert economic guidance, regional funding mechanisms, and other support for the development of the regional economy.
In addition to the international donor group, a committee of Israeli, Palestinian, and Jordanian representatives could be established to explore a federative economic arrangement, outlining a 179 free trade area among them that eventually would be extended to the European Union and the United States. The committee would work with local finance ministries to monitor the gradual implementation of this arrangement.
Figure 1: GDP per capita in US dollars1
One of the major focuses of peacebuilding projects should be the equitable distribution of resources. The Mediterranean region is rich in resources, but distribution remains uneven. Water has been a cause of worldwide political conflict for decades, particularly in regions that face water shortages, and the Middle East is no exception. However, water also can serve to enhance relationships instead of straining them; water sharing can be a foundation for political, economic, strategic, and geopolitical arrangements between states. Each diplomatic agreement between Mediterranean states should be accompanied by a water-sharing clause.
Water as a natural resource is integral to many elements of life—health, agriculture, economy, electricity, sanitation, cooling 180 systems, recreation, tourism, fishing, and sewage all depend on water to some degree. However, water is finite and must therefore be managed for sustainable, equitable use. The Mediterranean encompasses regions that are rich in water and forests and those that are thirsty, desert areas. Accordingly, water activity in the Mediterranean Basin can be administered in different ways, depending on the circumstances of the area.
Initially, the establishment of a water database can enhance water cooperation among all Mediterranean countries. Such a database can help manage the implementation of water-related clauses in the Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution (1976), also known as the Barcelona Convention.2 In addition, seashore cities can exchange information and cooperate on activities regarding water supply, desalination, sanitation, and sewage-purification systems (including their future agricultural usefulness in solving water shortages).
On a regional level, water activity can be both strategic and economic. Activities can include management of joint water resources (rivers, groundwater, drainage basins, etc.), conditional on the interests and circumstances of each country; the establishment of a decision-making system for water resources, similarly based on strategic and economic considerations; and analysis of common projects.
On a national level, water activities can be based on neighborly relations and common borders. Projects will be more concrete because of proximity and because of the parties’ mutual geographical and economic dependence on the available resource. One example is the potential cooperation between Israel and its neighbors: use of the northern Dead Sea springs, removal and utilization of sewage in the western zones of the West Bank, utilization of sewage in East Jerusalem, and connection of Gaza to desalination operations in Ashkelon. One water-sharing project currently on the table is the digging of a Red Sea/Dead Sea canal, which is being spearheaded by King Abdullah II of Jordan, President Peres 181 of Israel, and President Abu Mazen of the Palestinian Authority. The success of this peacebuilding project will surely pave the way for similar resource-sharing projects in the future.
Related to water sharing, agricultural ventures—including integrated crop management, modern irrigation system management, and peri-urban agricultural development—can greatly enhance economies and cooperation between Mediterranean states. For example, Israel and Palestine can share technology and agricultural knowledge through joint farms and production facilities. Agricultural trade opportunities with Europe, Asia, North America, and the Persian Gulf states can be maximized through joint marketing. A similar but more limited cooperation can take place among Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, particularly in the border regions. For example, hothouses may be developed in the Jordan Valley and in southern Lebanon and innovative crops may be grown on the Golan Heights and in northern Galilee.
Another opportunity for economic and industrial cooperation is the regional use of solar energy. The world is quickly running out of conventional fuel, and alternative energy sources have become a critical field. Recent years have seen a technological breakthrough in the field of solar research known as concentrator photovoltaics.3 The idea is to take small, highly efficient solar cells and then concentrate sunlight onto them using large mirrors or lenses. This produces a great deal more electricity from each solar cell than would be possible if the cell were simply exposed to direct sunlight, and thus reduces their effective cost per watt. Solar technology has reached a stage where large solar power plants could be constructed as cost-effectively as conventional fossil-fueled plants.
Radiation from the sun could be converted to low-cost electricity to power electrolysis units. It also could be used to extract hydrogen from seawater, with oxygen as a waste product. That hydrogen could then be used to fuel trucks, cars, and even planes, producing pure water vapor as waste.4 If countries could generate their own pollution-free (hydrogen) fuel from low-grade water, and 182 in the process of burning that fuel create pure water as a byproduct, the benefits would be not only environmental but also political. The use of independent sources of fuel rather than imported fuel could lead to an entirely new and healthier order of national priorities for all the countries concerned.
The total estimated population for all countries around the Mediterranean Basin was 462 million people in 2005. A 150 kilometer by 150 kilometer solar megaplant located in the Sahara could provide electricity for the entire population of the Mediterranean Basin, at a per capita level in excess of 8,000 kilowatt-hours per year.5 This figure almost equals the per capita output requirement in France. Initiating such a program, however, requires decisions regarding cooperation and investment—hence the need to address these issues within the framework of the Pax Mediterraneo.
Information technology can enhance the effectiveness, transparency, and accessibility of peacebuilding activities. For example, an online Mediterranean city gateway portal can be established, in conjunction with the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, to provide an interactive forum for professional groups and peacebuilding initiatives in the region. Information technology could also facilitate a forum to initiate e-commerce projects between post-conflict countries, which would take advantage of the knowledge and language skills each side has to offer. Technological capabilities represent one of the most important resources a country can possess in today’s globalized world; the exchange of knowledge in this field is therefore a crucial part of bringing lesser developed countries on par with richer countries in the region.
Social Ventures
Joint social programs are an integral part of peacebuilding activities, particularly in the realms of health and sports. These activities can be guided by the joint committee for peacebuilding.
The nourishment of children is an important element of peacemaking in post-conflict environments, where many children under 183 the age of six suffer malnutrition. Coordination of the international community with local peacebuilding activities can provide these children with much-needed vitamins. Peace is about living and enhancing quality of life, and food security for children—the future leaders of society—is the essence of peace.
One example of a joint health program in the Israeli-Palestinian region could be an agreement allowing Palestinian children access to Israeli health services, financed by the international community. The program could include the opportunity for Palestinian physicians to be trained alongside their Israeli counterparts, and for Israeli and Palestinian hospitals to be linked through a telemedicine apparatus that facilitates cross-border access to information on diagnoses, treatment methods, and surgical remedies. This interactive health forum also can be extended to research and development institutions, such as medical faculties in universities. The Peres Center for Peace is currently running a Saving Children program, financed by Italy, which allows sick Palestinian children to access in Israel the medical treatment they can’t get in Palestine. Other NGOs can develop similar programs in other parts of the region.
Peacebuilding projects in the arts can provide infrastructure such as music and film studios and art schools. As I discussed in chapter 16 in relation to peace ecology, joint projects in this field can create a common language between former enemies. In the area of sports, soccer stadiums and basketball courts can be built or rehabilitated and used for joint training sessions. The Mediterranean Basin can be a useful platform for such activity, allowing sub-regional competitions and year-round training. With time, these peace-sports activities can be institutionalized by the International Olympic Committee. A Tel Aviv-Ramallah bid for the 2020 Olympic Games may seem far-fetched, but it would demonstrate a commitment to cultivating a peaceful environment in the long term.
Another area of Mediterranean cooperation can involve strengthening cultural ties, which would emphasize cultural affinity among Mediterranean inhabitants. For example, youth from ten Mediterranean countries already have engaged in a project dedicated to 184 drawing and writing about peace, inspired by Picasso, in cooperation with the Picasso Foundation and the Leo Savir Foundation for a Mediterranean Vision 2020 within the Peres Center for Peace. Art can be educational, stimulating, and fun, which makes it an excellent opportunity to invite youth into the peacemaking process.
Environment
The Mediterranean Sea is the heart of the countries that surround it. A shared responsibility for the environment will enhance a common Mediterranean identity at the most basic level. The preservation of the sea’s coastline is a common interest of all the countries on its shores, and the vast threats to its environment should be jointly overcome by the surrounding nations.
The Mediterranean Sea forms a bridge between three major continents—Africa, Asia, and Europe—all of which contribute to and suffer from water pollution and degeneration in the sea. Beaches are overbuilt and pollutants from both land-based sources and heavy maritime traffic are contaminating the waters of the basin, much to the detriment of marine animals and shore life.
The Mediterranean also suffers from irregular rainfall, water shortages, lack of extensive fertile plains, desert areas, and natural floods. Its natural resources are not equally divided throughout the region; the southern and eastern shores, those most in need of water, suffer from frequent shortages. Approximately 80 percent of the arid areas are suffering from desertification, and increasing urban sprawl is leading to the loss of high-quality soil. More than half the Mediterranean coastline is urbanized, which has resulted in increased pollution and waste and the loss of natural habitats and forests—which in turn lead to the destruction of species and increased pressure on the water supply.6
All of these problems—pollution, water scarcity, desertification, and soil degradation—can be direct or indirect causes of social, political, and economic instability. In other words, the longer these 185 problems fester, the less likely it is that a stable and comprehensive peace can be achieved.
From 1971 to 1975, increasing concerns about the declining condition of the Mediterranean led to international calls for cooperation and action. The culmination of these demands was an array of treaties and conventions signed by the rim countries in cooperative attempts to control the problems outlined above. The first of these agreements was the Barcelona Convention, which aimed to coordinate international efforts to protect the marine environment and seacoasts. The convention dealt with four main types of pollution: dumping from ships and aircraft; pollution from ships; pollution from exploration of the continental shelf, seabed, and subsoil; and pollution from land-based sources.
At that time, the Mediterranean Action Plan and its coordinating unit were established. The action plan comprises four major components: a coordinated program for research, monitoring and exchange of information and assessment of the state of pollution; development and management of the basin’s resources; a framework convention and technical annexes for protection of the environment; and institutional and financial arrangements for carrying out the plan.7
In 1996, the Barcelona Convention was revised and again ratified by all signatories. As a result, the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development was set up as an advisory body on the Mediterranean Action Plan. In addition, the Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Conference on the Environment unanimously adopted the Short- and Medium-Term Priority Environmental Action Programme (1997), a framework of action for the protection of the Mediterranean environment within the context of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership.8 Priorities include integrated water, waste, and coastal zone management.
In addition to these conservation efforts, other solutions are necessary and can involve regional cooperation in all environmental arenas. The collection, dissemination, and exchange of data and 186 information are vital to economic sustainability, regional cooperation, and ultimately, lasting peace.
Tourism
Environmental preservation not only improves the potential for economic growth in the Mediterranean but also provides a fertile foundation for increased tourism in the region. Ecotourism is one of the fastest growing segments of the tourism industry. The Holy Land also has tremendous potential for pilgrimages and other tourism to religious attractions.
Tourism in the Mediterranean is generally concentrated in the richest and most developed countries; if we direct our marketing efforts toward promotion of cross-border tourism in areas recovering from conflict, we can bring greater numbers of tourists (and more tourist dollars) to those regions desperately in need of financial support.
Tourism in post-conflict environments can create cross-border infrastructure, including roads and railways, and can open up airspace and waters. Through cooperative tourism, former enemies have the opportunity to acquire a deeper knowledge of one another, to foster understanding between their peoples, and to engage in cultural exchange that helps reduce prejudices. In the end, sympathy and understanding can lead to a diminishment of tension in the region, contribute to peace, and enhance post-conflict economies by potentially bringing millions of tourists to regions that once were too risky to visit. Ultimately, cross-border tourism can help the Mediterranean become a united and more harmonious regional community.
Joint economic, social, environmental, and tourism ventures in the Mediterranean area can bring the region’s countries together in a way never seen before. Peacebuilding does not simply represent 187 a one-way channel from rich countries to poor countries; these cooperative activities can enrich all sides through the exchange of knowledge and culture, and can present opportunities for economic and social growth that benefits developing and developed countries alike.