Investing in the Arab Spring

From the creator

This is the VOA Special English Economics Report, from http://voaspecialenglish.com | http://facebook.com/voalearningenglish The "Arab Spring" in the Middle East and North Africa has raised hopes and dreams. But can it raise money to invest in a better future? How to respond to the Arab uprisings was a major question for world leaders at the Group of 8 meeting in France in late May. Earlier, the head of the World Bank said international support can speed progress -- "but only if coupled with real reform." President Obama discussed American development plans in his Middle East policy speech on May nineteenth. He said: "The goal must be a model in which protectionism gives way to openness, the reins of commerce pass from the few to the many and the economy generates jobs for the young. America's support for democracy will therefore be based on ensuring financial stability, promoting reform and integrating competitive markets with each other and the global economy. And we are going to start with Tunisia and Egypt." Democracy protests in those two countries forced out their presidents early this year. The World Bank will offer Egypt four and a half billion dollars in loans over the next two years. The money would be part of a plan with the International Monetary Fund to help control Egypt's budget deficit. The goal is to improve the country's credit rating in order to ease the concerns of investors and reduce borrowing costs. About two billion dollars in loans would be linked

Published 2011-06-28 · Watch on YouTube ↗
Availability and playback restrictions are controlled by the original channel.