Within the context of regional needs going forward, I was recently asked in a lecture why the Lebanese are so entrepreneurial?
The answer is quite simple. They have had to be. Throughout their history they have either been on the fringe of governance or without it.
My grandfather, Ghaleb, who is said to have studied in Boston in the early 20th century returned to a pre-independence Ottoman ruled Lebanon. He was politically prosecuted and had to flee for safety and to be able to make a living. He immigrated to Bombay in Raj India where he established a lucrative textile trade.
My father in his turn studied in England and upon his return started an education business, only to be thwarted by Lebanon's civil war. His creativity could not be stifled, and he moved to a barren Dubai in the early 70's where he continued with his business.
Similarly, I had to leave Lebanon to the US at an early age to finish my education. I started my own high tech business right after school. My son already displays some entrepreneurship traits by teaching his old man new social media trends and faux pas...
Our story is by no means exceptional. We are but another Lebanese family, which for one reason or another has had to turn to its own devices because the setting from which it came did not provide one. We are a product of our environment and I tend to think if it is not yet in our genes, in the very least, it is well engrained in our psyche. We have become what we inevitably have had to.
What has all this got to do with the Middle East's new Realities? It is all about self-reliance. Developed nations are as wealthy as they are because they have managed to maximize the productivity of the micro-elements within their societies making them self-reliant not to mention prosperous. Some falsely claim that large businesses control the United States. While they do exert considerable influence, 80% of employment actually comes from small businesses. According to the US Small Business Administration, there are more than 24 million small businesses in the United States as compared to about 50,000 large ones. The story is very similar in places such as Germany and Japan. Developing places such as Brazil, South Africa, and China point to a similar trend. Self-reliance appears to be a necessary and perhaps sufficient step to prosperity.
This brings us back to the new realities in the Middle East. Unless nations in the Arab World begin to seriously develop their micro elements, these societies will increasingly face difficulties as they democratize and liberalize. Self-sufficiency has got to replace government welfare. The sooner this is realized the less painful the inevitable shift will be. Entrepreneurship may not be the panacea, but it sure as heck is a good option when government handouts dry up as they are bound to.
The answer is quite simple. They have had to be. Throughout their history they have either been on the fringe of governance or without it.
My grandfather, Ghaleb, who is said to have studied in Boston in the early 20th century returned to a pre-independence Ottoman ruled Lebanon. He was politically prosecuted and had to flee for safety and to be able to make a living. He immigrated to Bombay in Raj India where he established a lucrative textile trade.
My father in his turn studied in England and upon his return started an education business, only to be thwarted by Lebanon's civil war. His creativity could not be stifled, and he moved to a barren Dubai in the early 70's where he continued with his business.
Similarly, I had to leave Lebanon to the US at an early age to finish my education. I started my own high tech business right after school. My son already displays some entrepreneurship traits by teaching his old man new social media trends and faux pas...
Our story is by no means exceptional. We are but another Lebanese family, which for one reason or another has had to turn to its own devices because the setting from which it came did not provide one. We are a product of our environment and I tend to think if it is not yet in our genes, in the very least, it is well engrained in our psyche. We have become what we inevitably have had to.
What has all this got to do with the Middle East's new Realities? It is all about self-reliance. Developed nations are as wealthy as they are because they have managed to maximize the productivity of the micro-elements within their societies making them self-reliant not to mention prosperous. Some falsely claim that large businesses control the United States. While they do exert considerable influence, 80% of employment actually comes from small businesses. According to the US Small Business Administration, there are more than 24 million small businesses in the United States as compared to about 50,000 large ones. The story is very similar in places such as Germany and Japan. Developing places such as Brazil, South Africa, and China point to a similar trend. Self-reliance appears to be a necessary and perhaps sufficient step to prosperity.
This brings us back to the new realities in the Middle East. Unless nations in the Arab World begin to seriously develop their micro elements, these societies will increasingly face difficulties as they democratize and liberalize. Self-sufficiency has got to replace government welfare. The sooner this is realized the less painful the inevitable shift will be. Entrepreneurship may not be the panacea, but it sure as heck is a good option when government handouts dry up as they are bound to.
No comments:
Post a Comment