So, if the West ignores the Middle East or addresses the region’s problems only through military means (the US has spent $2 trillion in its Afghan and Iraqi wars, only to create more instability), rather than relying on diplomacy and financial resources to support growth and job creation, the region’s instability will only worsen. Such a choice would haunt the US and Europe – and thus the global economy – for decades to come.
因此，如果西方忽视中东，或只是通过军事手段解决中东问题（美国在阿富汗和伊拉克战争中已经投入了2万亿美元，结果是越来越动荡），而不是依赖外交和金融资源支持增长和就业创造，中东的动荡只会愈加深化。这一选择的后果将在未来几十年一直萦绕美国和欧洲——因此也将萦绕全球经济。