2021 is the Middle East's year of opportunity - if we can seize it

Last year was challenging, but in many ways set the stage for the region's future success

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Pupils seated for the Mathematic, grade 11 exam hall at Gems Cambridge International School in Baniyas. Khushnum Bhandari for The National

There are pockets of positive momentum almost everywhere you look in the Middle East.

For example, a renewed commitment to GCC unity at the Al Ula summit has provided a boost of energy to what is a powerful political and economic bloc. Also, on Monday, Egypt, Jordan, Germany and France said they were ready to work with the US to further Middle East peace negotiations.

Perhaps most importantly of all, national Covid-19 vaccination programmes are beginning to pick up speed as they scale up across the region.

It is difficult to recall a start to a year that offered so much promise and at the same time so much peril

Kuwait Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Sabah, Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim, Omani Deputy Prime Minister Fahad bin Mahmoud, Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman, Bahrain Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, and Dr Nayef Al Hajraf, Secretary General of the GCC. Courtesy Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Saudi Arabia

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signing the Al Ula statement during this summit. Courtesy Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Saudi Arabia

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai signing the Al Ula statement during this summit. Courtesy Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Saudi Arabia

A general view of the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) 41st Summit, is pictured via screen at the media centre in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia January 5, 2021. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri

U.S. White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner attends the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) 41st Summit in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia January 5, 2021. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the summit. Courtesy Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Saudi Arabia

Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim at the summit. Courtesy Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Saudi Arabia

Dr Nayef Al Hajraf, Secretary General of the GCC at the summit. Courtesy Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Saudi Arabia

Oman Deputy Prime Minister Fahad bin Mahmoud signing the Al Ula statement during this summit. Courtesy Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Saudi Arabia

Bahrain Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa signing the Al Ula statement during this summit. Courtesy Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Saudi Arabia

Kuwait Emir Sheikh Nawaf Al Sabah signing the Al Ula statement during this summit. Courtesy Ministry of Foreign Affairs - Saudi Arabia

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef Falah Al Hajraf attends a press conference at the Gulf Cooperation Council's 41st Summit in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia. Reuters

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef Falah Al Hajraf. AP Photo

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud holds a press conferece. AFP

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud holds a press conferece. AFP

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud holds a press conferece. AFP

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef Falah al-Hajraf gestures during a news conference at the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) 41st Summit in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia January 5, 2021. REUTERS/Ahmed Yosri

Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Nayef Falah al-Hajraf and Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud speak during a joint news conference at the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) 41st Summit in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia January 5, 2021. Reuters

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman meets Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani during the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) 41st Summit in Al-Ula, Saudi Arabia January 5, 2021. Bandar Algaloud/Courtesy of Saudi Royal Court/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY

That is despite a shaky start amid a spike in coronavirus cases across the world and the shocking events at the US Capitol. However, a new American administration is coming in and it is reasonable to expect a flurry of action on the part of President-elect Joe Biden and his team. While it is as yet unclear what that might mean for the countries of the Middle East and in particular the problems caused to them by Iran, there will at least be a window during which Mr Biden will attempt to show he means business when it comes to resolving such long-standing issues. There is also a fresh round of multinational and institutional willingness to co-operate on battling climate change, including Britain's Prince of Wales' “Terra Carta” sustainability plan, announced this week.

It must be taken as a very positive sign that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, a figure who has offered thought-provoking words almost every time I have heard him speak, is now seeking a second term in the role. The bulk of his first five years in office has been beset by immense challenges, yet he has not given up.

He has said that 2021 could be “a year of healing … [he has seen how] rays of hope can reach around the world”.

That is despite him saying only last February: “I have spoken about winds of hope. But today a wind of madness is sweeping the globe.”

What a turnaround in sentiment.

Palestinian fishermen row a boat after catching fish in the Mediterranean sea off Gaza City at sunrise. AFP

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan makes a speech following a cabinet meeting in Ankara, Turkey. Reuters

People feed seagulls on a bridge over the Tigris river as the sun sets in Baghdad, Iraq. AP

Citizens shopping at Spinneys supermarket in Beirut, Lebanon. Lebanese authorities have ordered the closure of all restaurants, nightclubs, coffee shops and bars to limit the spread of coronavirus. EPA

A general view of Al-Aweer desert farm in the Gulf emirate of Dubai, which adopted a food security plan, following the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic last year, to cultivate the desert and provide crops locally and also to reduce imports from abroad. AFP

A passenger walks past an aquarium at the King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. AP

At the forensic medicine department in Tripoli Medical Center, Libyans seeking news of loved ones inspect belongings of people found in mass graves in June last year near Tarhuna, about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from the capital Tripoli. Human Rights Watch appealed to Libya's government to launch an investigation aimed at identifying hundreds of people reported missing in a western town where mass graves have been unearthed. AFP

People enjoy their lunch by the seaside, at Kadikoy in Istanbul. AFP

Covid-19 vaccination programmes are beginning to pick up speed across the region

So, in that vein 2021 could also be a year of real opportunities for the people of the Arab world. The question as always will be; can we seize the opportunities?

Perhaps the more pressing question is what kind of region do we want? One filled with economic and social opportunity for sure. A region which offers inclusivity and meritocracy. These ideals represent a perfect goal which no nation or community can hope to achieve completely but we can say that is what we aim for and to have that ambition fueling and driving everything we do, every single day.

With so many watershed moments upon us at once – the pandemic, a new President for the US, technological shifts, we have a great chance to shape the region as individuals.

Looming over any optimistic prognosis for the Middle East are the structural problems we face. Iran’s destabilising actions, Hezbollah’s intransigence in Lebanon, Bashar Al Assad’s regime immovable in Syria and economic malaise almost everywhere.

Yet, we do know what the long-term solutions are; for example nurturing values such as entrepreneurship and inclusivity, which is happening in parts of the Middle East and North Africa today. These are humble but powerful forces for change and will always be opposed by those who would stand in the way of a progressive, productive and peaceful region.

It feels though that the tide is beginning to turn. The consequences of the global pandemic from which none could escape the reality of has been sobering. It is as if it has woken us up from the malaise.

We know now for example that there are far more people who covet and espouse these positive values. They are no longer drowned out by the more extreme elements manipulating social media. It is not too much of a risk to be hopeful that if we can keep moving forward the current will continue to turn in the favour of a future that is more characterised by peace and prosperity.

I wish that the defining pattern of this year could be that every opportunity will be seized. Realistically, some, if not most, will be missed. However, if we can grab at and hold on to a few that previously we may have let slip from our grasp, then it will be a landmark period.

Mustafa Alrawi is an assistant editor-in-chief at The National