the digital divide and increase Internet access that have already been
developed for other regions of the world.
respect for different beliefs is a key element in any global strategy to eliminate
Islamist terrorism.
other nations in generously supporting a new International Youth
Opportunity Fund. Funds will be spent directly for building and
operating primary and secondary schools in those Muslim states that
commit to sensibly investing their own money in public education.
hope, when societies break down, when countries fragment, the breeding
grounds for terrorism are created. Backward economic policies and repressive
political regimes slip into societies that are without hope, where ambition and
passions have no constructive outlet.
merce, especially international commerce, requires ongoing cooperation and
compromise, the exchange of ideas across cultures, and the peaceful resolution
of differences through negotiation or the rule of law. Economic growth
expands the middle class, a constituency for further reform. Successful
economies rely on vibrant private sectors, which have an interest in curbing
indiscriminate government power.Those who develop the practice of control-
ling their own economic destiny soon desire a voice in their communities and
political societies.
ing comprehensive free trade agreements (FTAs) with the Middle Eastern
nations most firmly on the path to reform.The U.S.-Israeli FTA was enacted
in 1985, and Congress implemented an FTA with Jordan in 2001. Both agree-
ments have expanded trade and investment, thereby supporting domestic eco-
nomic reform. In 2004, new FTAs were signed with Morocco and Bahrain,
and are awaiting congressional approval.These models are drawing the inter-
est of their neighbors. Muslim countries can become full participants in the
rules-based global trading system, as the United States considers lowering its
trade barriers with the poorest Arab nations.