VOA标准英语2009年-New Book Says Middle Class Values Have

Faiza Elmasry | Washington, DC 04 December 2009

 
The author of a new book believes capitalism¹ and middle class values can transform the Muslim World economically, culturally and politically.

Vali Nasr, an Iranian-American, is a professor of international politics at Tufts University.  His views on the Muslim world are based on observations during visits to Muslim countries.

"I took notice of different trends that I see taking place there, that didn't have to do with the debates we usually have about the Muslim world: about extremism, dictatorship and religion," he says. "But it had to do with commerce, development of a new middle class and its participation² in the global economy."

 

To be successful, the new business class must be created within the society Nasr says

 

This emerging middle class, he says, consists of entrepreneurs, investors³, professionals and consumers.

Prosperity changes attitudes in Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Dubai

"If you look at countries that have actually taken steps to open themselves to the global economy, for instance Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia and even Dubai, we see this process at work," he explains. "We see the rise of a middle class. We see the rise of middle class attitudes towards family, towards commerce, towards society, towards religion and towards politics. So when we look at these countries, we see that you have much greater prosperity, and [the sort of] attitudes would make [the society] much more amenable⁴ to the kinds of changes that we would like to see across the Muslim world."

Free market economy pushes open doors

In his new book, Forces of Fortune, Nasr explains the transformative power of prosperity.

 

In Forces of Fortune, Nasr explains how a free market economy fosters societal change

"When you have a large free market, that free market would then create a vested interest in economic relations inside the country and in the world," he says. "For those economic relations to work, your laws have to change, and your regulatory environment has to change, and the relationship between government and society has to change. You have to embrace a certain degree of openness. Secondly⁵, you cannot have conflicted relations with the rest of the world if you're going to be doing business with it."

History proves the author's point

"The rise of the West, the transformation⁶ of Asia, the transformation of Latin America, these have all happened because of the pressure of market forces, commerce and trade," he says. "We don't have a case around the world where you have stable democracies, prosperous democracies that don't have a middle class," Nasr says.

Pakistan and Iran pose special challenges

However, moving to the free market economy in the Muslim world is not always an easy process. Nasr points to Pakistan as an example.

"Pakistan is a tough case, largely because you have so much extremism and instability in it," he explains. "That obviously makes getting business going much more difficult. But that does not mean that it's not doable, or that there is any other way doing it. In other words, if Pakistan is really going to be stable, prosperous democracy, then it has to have a strong middle class."

Iran, Nasr says, is a different case. The nation already has a successful business class, but it is not strong enough to transform the society.

"It's not large enough to be able to determine the direction of the country," he says. "So as a consequence, many of the conflicts we see within Iran reflect this struggle; the middle class, the pro-private sector⁷ forces, favor opening to the West, they favor a private sector economy, they favor less government control of the economy. They confront forces that want a closed economy, controlled by the government."

Creating the will for a Muslim middle class

For a Muslim middle class to arise and thrive, Vali Nasr says, members of the society themselves must have the desire and ability to move to a free market economy.

"There is no way around it," he says.  "You cannot import a middle class from outside. You rather have to create it within. And the only way to create the middle class is to create an environment for commerce and for economic activity in it."

The West can lend a helping⁸ hand

"Whenever you have change, you have winners and you have losers," he says. "Losers will always resist change, whether they are bureaucrats⁹, government officials or people who benefit from the old system. Winners always push for change. The West can help the winners win and it can help the losers to be reconciled with the changes that are happening," Nasr says.

Moving from a government controlled economy to an open market and free trade, he adds, requires tough laws to protect the process from old systems that may try to corrupt¹⁰ and thwart¹¹ it. That will allow entrepreneurs to establish successful businesses, which will eventually lead to a more stable economy, a more open cultural and political environment and a transformation of the society.
 

1 capitalism   

n.资本主义

参考例句：

• The essence of his argument is that capitalism cannot succeed.他的论点的核心是资本主义不能成功。
• Capitalism began to develop in Russia in the 19th century.十九世纪资本主义在俄国开始发展。

2 participation   

n.参与，参加，分享

参考例句：

• Some of the magic tricks called for audience participation.有些魔术要求有观众的参与。
• The scheme aims to encourage increased participation in sporting activities.这个方案旨在鼓励大众更多地参与体育活动。

3 investors   

n.投资者，出资者( investor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a con man who bilked investors out of millions of dollars 诈取投资者几百万元的骗子
• a cash bonanza for investors 投资者的赚钱机会

4 amenable   

adj.经得起检验的；顺从的；对负有义务的

参考例句：

• His scientific discoveries are amenable to the laws of physics.他在科学上的发现经得起物理定律的检验。
• He is amenable to counsel.他这人听劝。

5 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

6 transformation   

n.变化；改造；转变

参考例句：

• Going to college brought about a dramatic transformation in her outlook.上大学使她的观念发生了巨大的变化。
• He was struggling to make the transformation from single man to responsible husband.他正在努力使自己由单身汉变为可靠的丈夫。

7 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

8 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

9 bureaucrats   

n.官僚( bureaucrat的名词复数 )；官僚主义；官僚主义者；官僚语言

参考例句：

• That is the fate of the bureaucrats, not the inspiration of statesmen. 那是官僚主义者的命运，而不是政治家的灵感。 来自辞典例句
• Big business and dozens of anonymous bureaucrats have as much power as Japan's top elected leaders. 大企业和许多不知名的官僚同日本选举出来的最高层领导者们的权力一样大。 来自辞典例句

10 corrupt   

v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的

参考例句：

• The newspaper alleged the mayor's corrupt practices.那家报纸断言市长有舞弊行为。
• This judge is corrupt.这个法官贪污。

11 thwart   

v.阻挠，妨碍，反对；adj.横(断的)

参考例句：

• We must thwart his malevolent schemes.我们决不能让他的恶毒阴谋得逞。
• I don't think that will thwart our purposes.我认为那不会使我们的目的受到挫折。