Team New York

I spent my birthday today debating the future of Tunisia :) Beat that. While it certainly does not sound like a typical 23rd birthday, it truly was a privilege to spend my day at the Mediterranean School of Business in Tunis. I had an amazing day, and I am thankful for such a wonderful birthday experience!

Today the USA Youth Debate Delegation continued its debate schedule with four more debates about the future of the Maghreb. I was on Team New York (pictured above), and even if we hadn't had such a great record (3-1), I would have been thankful for my teammates!

Perhaps the most interesting and well-rounded debate was the first one: Should the countries of the Maghreb form an economic union modeled after the EU? As determined by the flip of a coin, our side argued the con position. I felt that this debate captured a realistic issue that the Maghreb is facing - one worth discussing further.

As the con side, my team argued that, while an economic union sounds like a great idea, in reality, such a union is premature for the Maghreb. With the recent instability in the region, we argued that adding the complications of creating and enforcing an economic union would only destabilize countries further, rather than strengthen them. We also argued that the EU is not necessarily in the best economic position to be serving as a model for other countries, and we pointed to the fact that the Union Maghreb d'Arabe was already attempted in 1989, but has since failed.

Although our side won (and we might have had the easier position), the pro side argued for an idea that is not far from the minds of many. Of course many security and instability issues exist within the Maghreb and these problems would have to be addressed before economic union was considered seriously, but the idea that these countries could or should unite in the future to strengthen their position in the global economy reflects the growing importance of regionalism. Globalization is obviously a hot topic in political science, international relations theory, and current events, but the subsequent importance of regionalism is an issue not to be overlooked. As some states try to protect their sovereignty in a globalizing world that renders them uncompetitive, regionalism seems to be a practical answer. The countries of the European Union have demonstrated this as of now. The functionalism and spill over effects of the gradual unification of European countries testifies to the practicality of regionalism. Perhaps regionalism will emerge in the future as a functional response to globalization - a means to remain competitive within the world. Once the countries of the Maghreb stabilize their internal issues, the idea of an economic union will not be an unrealistic idea to improve competitiveness in the global market. Perhaps when this time arrives, an economic union will not only be a good idea, it will be the only option.

Time will tell, but according to Team New York, that time is not now. Perhaps tomorrow, however, we will debate the other side!