Abstract
The Fertile Crescent (FC) is one of the world’s oldest and continuously populated regions. Situated around the historic Tigris and Euphrates rivers the countries of the FC are also central to the formation of modern civilization. They also have been the centers of advancements in agricultural and animal husbandry practices, the introduction of writing, as well as advances in architecture and sculpture. The region also has been characterized by an abundance of natural resources in addition to fabulous levels of man-made wealth. Unfortunately, the nine primary countries of the FC—Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, Palestine—also have been the center of social and religious conflict as well as military invasions from both within and outside the region. In recent years, some countries within the FC have been the source of state-sponsored terrorism and several are in the midst of civil wars and intraregional conflicts, including Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, and Syria. The research reported in this chapter documents development trends that have occurred and are still taking place in four FC countries—Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria. The statistical picture presented in this report for at least two of these countries is an especially bleak one—Iraq and Syria--albeit more positive outcomes are possible should other member state of the OIC provide moral leadership, financial support, and technical assistance in helping to reverse the downward trajectories being experienced by these countries.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Similar content being viewed by others
Notes
- 1.
The countries included in each of the four development groups referred to in this chapter are identified in Table 3 of Estes (2010). In general, the world’s richest countries are those identified by the World Bank (2014a, b) as either “Developed Market Economies” (DMEs) or as members of the “Commonwealth of Independent States” (CIS). The world’s poorest countries are those economically disadvantaged countries identified as either “developing” (DCs) or, in the case of the world’s poorest countries, as “socially least developing” (SLDCs).
- 2.
Ummah is an Arabic word meaning “nation” or “community”. It is distinguished from Sha’b (Arabic: شعب) (Wikipedia 2014a). At the time of the Prophet the concept of the Ummah included not only followers of Islam but all members of the larger community-- Christians, Jews, non-believers, and others—all of whom had direct access to the Prophet. Over the centuries, however, the meaning of Ummah became narrower and, today, refers only to the worldwide community of Muslims. A list of contemporary Islamic countries can be found in Wikipedia (2014b). The history of these nations over time also is summarized in Wikipedia (2014c).
- 3.
The first number in the parenthesis reports the country WISP scores for 2011. The second number reports the percentage change that took place in WISP scores between 2000 and 2011. Those with net positive positions between 2000 and 2011 indicate that these countries are engaged in a comparatively rapid rate of social progress whereas those with negative signs actually lost social ground between 2000 2011, often at a very high rate.
- 4.
(*) Indicates OIC member states identified by the United Nations as “Least Developing Countries” (UN-OHRLLS, 2014); (+) indicates OIC member states identified by the Fund for Peace (2014) as either “failed” (*) or “failing” states.
- 5.
‘Happy Life Years’ is an estimate of how long and happy the average citizen will live in that nation in this era. Computation: 0–1 enjoyment of life multiplied by expected length of life (Veenhoven 2014).
References
African Development Bank (AfDB). (2014). Tracking Africa’s progress in figures. Tunis: AfDB. Retrieved November 2014, from http://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Publications/Tracking_Africa%E2%80%99s_Progress_in_Figures.pdf.
Al-Ali, Z. (2014). The struggle for Iraq’s future: How corruption, incompetence, and sectarianism undermined democracy. New Haven: Yale University Press.
Alnsour, J., & Meaton, J. (2014). Housing conditions in Palestinian refugee camps, Jordan. Cities, 36, 65–73.
Asian Development Bank (ADB). (2012). Asian development outlook, 2012L rising inequality in Asia. Manila: ADB.
Astaiaza, R. (2012, October 12). 11 islands that will vanish when sea levels rise. Business Insider. Retrieved from http://www.businessinsider.com/islands-threatened-by-climate-change-2012-10?op=1
Ateca-Amestoy, V., Cortes-Aguilar, A., & Moro-Egida, A. I. (2014). Social interactions and life satisfaction: Evidence from Latin America. Journal of Happiness Studies, 15, 527–554.
Bell, D. A., & Mo, Y. (2014). Harmony in the world, 2013: The ideal and reality. Social Indicators Research, 118(2), 797–818.
Breasted, J. H. (1926). The conquest of civilization. New York: Harper & Row.
Browne, S., & Weiss, T. G. (2014). Post-2015: UN development--Making change happen? New York: Routledge.
Canter, S. (2008, October 14). South Pacific island evacuating due to global warming. Climate, 411. Retrieved from http://blogs.edf.org/climate411/2008/10/14/kiribati_evacuating/
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). (2014). World factbook. Retrieved November 2014, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/
Danahar, P. (2013). The new Middle East: The world after the Arab Spring. New York: Bloomsbury Press.
Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC). (2014). Latin America and the Caribbean in the world economy 2014: Regional integration and value chains in a challenging external environment. Bogota: ECLAC. Retrieved November 2014, from http://www.cepal.org/en/publications/latin-america-and-caribbean-world-economy-2014-regional-integration-and-value-chains
Editors, C. R. (Ed.). (2014). The Islamic state of Iraq and Syria: The history of ISIS/ISIL. Amazon: Kindle Books.
Erlich, R. (2014). Inside Syria: The backstory of their civil war and what we can expect. Amherst: Prometheus Press.
Estes, R. J. (1984). The social progress of nations. New York: Praeger.
Estes, R. J. (1988). Trends in world social development. New York: Praeger.
Estes, R. J. (2010). The world social situation: Development challenges at the outset of a new century. Social Indicators Research, 98(3), 363–402.
Estes, R. J. (2012a). “Failed” and “failing” States: Is quality of life possible?”. In K. Land, A. C. Michalos, & M. J. Sirgy (Eds.), Handbook of quality of life research (pp. 555–580). Dordrecht: Springer.
Estes, R. J. (2012b). Economies in transition: Continuing challenges to quality of life. In C. L. Kenneth, M. J. Sirgy, & A. C. Michalos (Eds.), Handbook of quality of life research (pp. 433–457). Dordrecht: Springer.
Estes, R. J. (2015a). Development trends among the world’s socially least developed countries: Reasons for cautious optimism. In B. Spooner (Ed.), Globalization in progress: Understanding and working with world urbanization. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Estes, R. J. (2015b). The world social situation: Development challenges at the outset of a new century. In W. Glatzer (Ed.), The Global handbook of well-being: From the wealth of nations to the well-being of nations. Dordrecht: Springer.
Estes, R. J., & Sirgy, M. J. (2014). Radical Islamic militancy and acts of terrorism: A quality-of-life analysis. Social Indicators Research, 117(2), 615–652.
Estes, R. J., & Tiliouine, H. (2014). Islamic development trends: From collective wishes to concerted actions. Social Indicators Research, New York: 116(1), 67–114.
European Union (EU). (2013). Development aid and countries. Strasbourg: EU.
Fakhoury, T. (2014). Do power-sharing systems behave differently amid regional uprisings?: Lebanon in the Arab protest wave. The Middle East Journal, 68(4), 505–520.
Freedom House (2014). Freedom in the world, 2014. New York: Freedom House. Retrieved November 2014, from https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-world/freedom-world-2014#.VGYmrmctDIU
Fuller, G. E. (2014). Turkey and the Arab Spring: Leadership in the Middle East. Squamish: Bozorg Press.
Fund for Peace. (2012). Failed states, 2011. FP: Washington.
Fund for Peace. (2014). Failed states index, 2013. Washington DC: Fund for Peace. Retrieved November 2014, from http://ffp.statesindex.org/rankings-2013-sortable
Gallup: The American Institute of Public Opinion. (2013). Citizens of poorest countries are happiest in the world. Retrieved from http://english.pravda.ru/society/stories/02-01-2013/123363-poor_happy-0/
Gavison, R. (Ed.). (2013). The two-state solution: The UN partition resolution of Mandatory Palestine. New York/London: Bloomsbury.
Harris, W. (2012). Lebanon: A history, 600–2011. New York: Oxford University Press.
Hillal Dessouki, A. E. D. (2015). The Arab regional system: a question of survival. Contemporary Arab Affairs, 8(1), 96–108.
Hyden, G., Court, J., & Mease, K. (2003). Civil society and governance in 16 developing countries. Overseas Development Institute, World Government Survey, Discussion Paper No. 4. Retrieved November 2014, from http://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/4098.pdf
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). (2014a). World disasters report 2014: Focus on culture and risk. Geneva: IFRC. Retrieved from http://www.ifrc.org/en/publications-and-reports/world-disasters-report/world-disasters-report-2014/
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). (2014b). World disasters report, 2013. Geneva: IFRC. Retrieved November 2014, from http://www.ifrc.org/en/publications-and-reports/world-disasters-report/world-disasters-report-2014/
International Labour Organization (ILO). (2013). Global employment trends for youth, 2013. Retrieved November 2014, from http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---dgreports/---dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_212423.pdf
International Office for Migration (IOM). (2013). World migration report, 2013. Geneva: IOM. Retrieved November 2014, from http://publications.iom.int/bookstore/free/WMR2013_EN.pdf.
International Social Security Association (ISSA). (2014). Social security programs throughout the world. Geneva: ISSA. Retrieved November 2014, from http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/progdesc/ssptw/
Juhasz, A. (2014). The Bush Agenda. New York: Harper Collins e-Books.
Kanbur, R., Rhee, C., & Zhuang, J. (Eds.). (2014). Inequality in Asia and the Pacific: Trends, drivers, and policy implications. Manila: Asia Development Bank.
Khader, R., & Badran, A. (Eds.). (2014). The economy of the Middle East: The economic development of Jordan. First published in 1987. London: Routledge.
Knudsen, A., & Kerr, M. (Eds.). (2014). Lebanon: After the cedar revolution. New York: Oxford University Press.
Mackey, S. (2013). Lebanon: A house divided. New York: W.W. Norton.
Nasr, S. V. R. (2013). European colonialism and the emergence of modern Muslim states. In J. L. Esposito (Ed.), The Oxford history of Islam: Oxford Islamic studies online. Retrieved from http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/book/islam-9780195107999/islam-9780195107999
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). (2012). Aid statistics. Paris: OECD. Retrieved from http://www.oecd.org/dac/aidstatistics/
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). (2014). Aid statistics. Paris: OECD.
Polk, W. R. (2006). Understanding Iraq: The whole Sweep of Iraqi History, from Genghis Khan’s Mongols to the Ottoman Turks to the British Mandate to the American occupation. New York: Harper.
Pomeroy, B. (2009). The bloody history of the Fertile Crescent. Amazon: Kindle Edition.
Rawaf, S., Hassounah, S., Dubois, E., Abdalrahman, B., Raheem, M., Jamil, H., & Majeed, A. (2014). Living conditions in Iraq: 10 years after the US-led invasion. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 107(5), 187–193.
Sahner, C. C. (2014). Among the ruins: Syria past and present. New York: Oxford University Press.
Sekulow, J. (Ed.). (2014). Rise of ISIS: A threat we can’t ignore. New York: Howard Books.
Starr, S. (2014). Revolt in Syria: An eyewitness report. New York: Oxford University Press.
Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI). (2014). Armed conflict, in SIPRI, SIPRI yearbook, 2014. Stockholm: SIPRI. Retrieved from http://www.sipri.org/yearbook/2014/02
Syrian Centre for Policy Research. (2014, May). Squandering humanity. Sopcio-economic monitoring of Syria. http://scpr-syria.org/att/SCPR_Squandering_Humanity_En.pdf. Accessed 30 Aug 2014.
Transparency International (2014). Perceived corruption index: Data. Retrieved November 2014, from http://www.transparency.org/cpi2013/results
United Nations (UN). (2014a). Millennium development goals: 2014 progress chart. Retrieved November 2014, from http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/2014%20MDG%20report/MDG%202014%20Progress%20Chart_English.pdf
United Nations (UN). (2014b). We can end poverty: Millennium development goals and beyond 2015. Retrieved November 2014, from http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/bkgd.shtml
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2009). Arab human development report, 2009: Challenges to human security in the Arab societies. Retrieved November 2014, from http://www.arab-hdr.org/contents/
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). (2014). Human Development Report, 2014. Retrieved November 2014, from http://hdr.undp.org/sites/default/files/hdr14-report-en-1.pdf
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). (2010). Paths to 2015: MDG priorities in Asia and the Pacific, 2010/11 Report. Retrieved from http://www.mdgasiapacific.org/files/MDG%20Paths%20to%202015%20Final.pdf
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA). (2013). ESCWA annual report, 2013. Retrieved November 2014, from http://www.escwa.un.org/information/pubaction.asp?PubID=1606
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). (2013). Mid-year trends, 2013. Retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/52af08d26.html
United Nations Higher Commisioner for Refugees (UNHCR). (2014). Mid-year trends, 2014. Geneva: UNHCR.
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). (2015). Mid-year trends, 2014. Retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/54aa91d89.html
United Nations Millennium Project (UNMP). (2005). Investing in development: A practical plan to achieve the millennium development goals. New York/London: Earthscan.
United Nations Population Division (UNPOP). (2013). World population prospects: The 2012 revision. Retrieved November 2014, from http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Documentation/pdf/WPP2012_HIGHLIGHTS.pdf
Veenhoven, R. (2014). World database of happiness. Rotterdam: Erasmus University. Retrieved December 2015, from http://worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl
Wikipedia. (2014a). Ummah. Retrieved November 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ummah
Wikipedia. (2014b). Islam by country. Retrieved November 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_by_country
Wikipedia. (2014c). History of Islam. Retrieved November 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Islam
Wikipedia. (2014d). List of countries by income inequality. Retrieved November 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_income_equality
Wikipedia. (2014e). List of on-going military conflicts. Retrieved November 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ongoing_conflicts
Wikipedia. (2014f). List of wars 2011-present. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_wars_2011%E2%80%93present
Wikipedia. (2014g). Jordan. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jordan
Wikipedia. (2014h). Marshall plan. Retrieved January 2015, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Plan
World Bank. (2014a). World development indicators. Retrieved November 2014, from http://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog/world-development-indicators
World Bank. (2014b). Middle East and North Africa. Retrieved November 2014, from http://www.worldbank.org/en/region/mena
World Health Organization (WHO). (2014). World health statistics, 2014. Geneva: WHO. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/releases/2014/world-health-statistics-2014/en/
World Resources Institute (WRI). (2013). Data sets. Retrieved November, 2014, from http://www.wri.org/publications/data-sets
Young, C. (Ed.). (1999). The accommodation of cultural diversity: Case studies. London: Palgrave for the United Nations Research Institute for Development (UNRISD). Retrieved from http://www.unrisd.org/80256B3C005BCCF9/(httpPublications)/1347664CA6527FDC80256B670065E501?OpenDocument
Zinecker, H. (2011). Civil society in developing countries: Conceptual considerations. Journal of Conflictology, 2(1), 1–18.
Zurcher, E. J. (2004). Turkey: A modern history (3rd ed.). London: I. B. Tauris & Co., Ltd.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2016 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Estes, R.J., Tiliouine, H. (2016). Social Development Trends in the Fertile Crescent Region: Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria. In: Tiliouine, H., Estes, R. (eds) The State of Social Progress of Islamic Societies. International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24774-8_8
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24774-8_8
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-24772-4
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-24774-8
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)