Conclusion: MENA’s Human Security Threats, Economic Costs, and Implications

Arafat provides a thorough analysis of the major threats, economic costs, and implications for human security in the MENA region. Focusing on the MENA’s human security threats, economic costs, and implications, this chapter draws attention to the implications of food, water, and energy insecurity, poverty and inequality, sectarianism, terrorism, climate change, health security, militarization, the absence of rule of law, political participation, and public liberties in the MENA. “MENA’s Human Security Threats, Economic Costs, and Implications” concludes that human security is the region's most significant challenge and threat, and the major threats to human security of the people in the MENA region come from within the state. The civil wars in Yemen, Syria, and Libya were driven by human security threats rather than conventional security threats or foreign invasions.