ABSTRACT
Ultimately, the three scenarios will be governed by the Arab resource base, comprising a stock of appropriate know-how, the social organization of human resources, and the available natural resources. This does not mean that those resources will remain unchanged or develop in accordance with a fixed pattern, regardless of the scenario in question. Our aim is to identify the factors that will govern Arab absorption capacity during the next three decades. In this chapter, before analysing the future scenarios, we will therefore review the following:
1 The expected situation with regard to these resources in the Arab world during the time-frame of our analysis. This situation will be dealt with in different ways in accordance with the principles governing the course of events in each of the three scenarios that we have chosen.
