The Roots of Middle East Mistrust
Arabs have substantially less trust in strangers, foreign or otherwise, than, say, Europeans – a reality that hampers everything from business development to governance. The first step in addressing the trust deficit is to understand its causes.
DURHAM – The mistrust that pervades Middle Eastern societies is hard to miss. As controlled experiments confirm, Arabs have substantially less trust in strangers, foreign or domestic, than, say, Europeans. This hampers progress on many fronts, from business development to government reforms.