The countries of the Middle East will be going through a transition of enormous proportions in the next few months. The context of the coming changes is the United States' waning influence in the region - evidenced by their utter failure to bring forth their version of a "New Middle East." Washington's crusade in the region has not only led to catastrophic failures for the US in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also has led to the weakening of US allies in the region. This period of change carries many risks but there are also real opportunities for the people of the region to reclaim some control over their own affairs.

Over the last six months, the Palestinian economy has been radically transformed under a new plan drawn up by the Palestinian Authority (PA) called the Palestinian Reform and Development Plan (PRDP). Developed in close collaboration with institutions such as the World Bank and the British Department for International Development (DFID), the PRDP is currently being implemented in the West Bank where the Abu Mazen-led PA has effective control. It embraces the fundamental precepts of neoliberalism: a private sector-driven economic strategy in which the aim is to attract foreign investment and reduce public spending to a minimum.

In November, the Bush administration brought together leaders from the Palestinian Authority and Israel to a conference in Annapolis, Maryland billed as the resumption of peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians. The Annapolis Conference like other insincere attempts by the US at bringing peace to the Middle East was dismissed immediately by most Arabs (despite the attendance of representatives from Arab governments) and especially the Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. In Palestine, demonstrations against the Annapolis Conference brought thousands into the streets of Ramallah, Hebron, Tulkarem, Nablus, and Gaza in defiance of the Palestinian Authority’s attempt to silence the peoples’ voice, representing a crucial moment for Palestine.