Comment: National University could become the engine of national growth and prosperity
19 Feb 2011, 2:06 PM
Yameen Rasheed
One of the most promising aspects for the proponents of democratic change in the Middle East is that the ongoing Arab revolutions are largely being led by youth activists.
Unlike the stereotyped bearded conservatives and liberal communists, the current reform movements in the Arab nations have been fuelled and sustained by the region’s sizeable youth population; a study by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life reveals that 60 percent of the Middle East’s population is under the age of 30.
With a median age of just under 25 years, the Maldives also has a very young population that peaked right around the time the country achieved democracy.
Political scientists often tout these statistics as positive indications of a brighter future in these countries.
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