Pause for thought
As an Arab and Palestinian businesswoman I feel immensely honoured to represent the Middle East and my country during overseas visits to promote the magazine and as media partner at international events. This year has been a very challenging time for my compatriots, especially those living and working in Gaza.
But I am also conscious that warfare has ravaged some of our neighbouring countries for the best part of three long years, more recently spreading within Iraq. Middle East Business hopes that the coming winter will be kind for anyone affected by this conflict.
As Middle East Business enters its second year, it seems as good a time as any to take stock of what we have achieved to date.
As a regionally focused magazine, we set out to widen our international presence to afford readers greater insight into regional issues. Through the remarkable partnerships we have now formed across the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf states, this is now possible.
Middle East Business has recently spent more time in Greece. On this occasion, our visit was to Athens as Introducing Leaders’ strategic partner where we helped organise a very successful high-level business roundtable to discuss investment opportunities between the Middle East and Greece.
To coincide with the increasing number of international events we are supporting, a series of special editions of Middle East Business magazine were produced for our Greek, Indonesian and Malaysian audiences – extending our reach even further.
In this end of year issue we would like to invite you to discover the real results of the Arab spring in Shahid Yusuf’s IMF paper on Middle East transitions. As economies move towards harsher times, with fewer job opportunities and increasing unemployment, we unveil the important role played by women’s cooperatives in rescuing regional economies. Cooperatives in Palestine and Morocco were able to take themselves and their families out of poverty, create jobs, save their heritage and care for their environment.
Oil and gas remains one of the core topics in the region. As the discovery of as yet untapped resources raises the hopes of many countries across our region, the controversial subject of ‘fracking’ – the extraction of shale gas – is discussed.
Our magazine not only focuses on the best ways to make and invest money, whether as a wealthy individual or a young entrepreneur, but also tries to be socially responsible in the advice we offer. In this edition we warn of the dangers of using your mobile ‘phone whilst behind the wheel especially as we move into the months where light levels are dropping.
As ever, we welcome your feedback. If you would like to learn more about advertising with us, do feel free to contact me directly.
May I take this opportunity to wish you a safe and prosperous winter season.
Amal Daraghmeh Masri
Editor in Chief & Founder
Middle East Business
