The Middle East is in a strong position to help itself. There is a high degree of economic complementarity between Egypt and the oil-rich Gulf States. Egypt can supply technology, manpower, and considerable expertise for the Arab region, while the Gulf provides energy and finance, as well as some specialists. The long-delayed vision of Arab economic unity should be returned to the table.
Israel, too, should recognize that its long-term security and prosperity will be enhanced as part of an economically stronger region. For the sake of its own national interests, Israel must come to terms with its neighbors.
Other regions also will find that the decline of US power increases the urgency of stronger cooperation between neighbors. Some of the greatest tensions in the world – say India and Pakistan, or North and South Korea – should be defused as part of region-wide strengthening. As the EU shows, ancient enmities and battle lines can be turned into mutually beneficial cooperation if a region looks forward, to resolving its long-term needs, rather than backward, to its long-standing rivalries and conflicts.
The EU has created a zone of peace where once there was relentless war. It has provided the institutional framework for reuniting Western and Eastern Europe. It has fostered regional-scale infrastructure. The single market has been crucial to making Europe one of the most prosperous places on the planet. And the EU has been a global leader on environmental sustainability.
Now having lived in the middle of this region for a decade it was still clear that the Thirty Years War had no yet ended, the dislike of Czechs and Slovaks still was there, the fear of the Germans exists and the Irish never really liked the Poles coming to their lands, the French like only the French, and the English still have a strong class society and still ban Catholics, just look at the recently converted ex PM.
Now frankly in the Middle East we have a situation that has lasted since 680 AD. Probably before. Egypt has ups and downs since the remnants of Alexander took over Alexandria, Ptolemy was always a problem, and Carthage having been settled by Arabs had prospered but after its fall wheat was good but just for so long. Needless to say Persia has been up and down but the rest has had less to show for itself since the Assyrians.
Is it the fault of the US as Sachs seems to infer? Is it a cultural problem. One should consider what Palestine could have become if it had used the Billions sent there for productive purposes. Thus do we still have remnants of a "Thirty Years War" in the Middle East without end, or is it as Sachs seems to say, we the US are faltering and they must get on with it themselves. Well what are they waiting for?
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