Stand up and be counted

BETWEEN the rise of politicised Islam, galloping demographics and the uncertain future for graduating students in the Middle East - 100 million Arabs will enter the work force by 2013 - there is great urgency to address the region's ills. Left unattended, these problems will only grow in scope and size until the countries concerned - and that is most of them - explode from insurmountable internal social pressures. The question is how to grapple these issues before it becomes too late?