The Future of the Middle East: Horizons of Challenges and Opportunities

... who can expand the horizons of the political space and challenge the conservative and archaic old elites. Risks: Accelerated urbanization in some cases can help consolidate existing social stratification and segregation: elites could gradually relocate ... ... to be a contentious issue (e.g. building new settlements in disputed territories in Israel or new development projects in Jerusalem); Persistent political instability in the region may hinder the development of urban autonomy and prevent any move towards ...