Losses of economic growth of the Middle East states cause of the “Arab Spring” have made $614 billion

Almaty. November 11. Silkroadnews – Losses of economic growth of the Middle East states cause of the “Arab Spring” since 2011 has amounted to $614 billion, the BBC Russian office writes.

$614 billion dollars is a 6% of the region’s GDP in 2011-2015, the report by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia says.

The calculations have been made using forecasts for economic growth of Arab countries made before 2011. Secondary effects, such as influx of refugees, reduction of remittances, decline in tourism sector, have been taken into account as well.

A series of protests in the Arab world began in 2011. Citizens’ conflicts with authorities led to regime change in four countries and wars in Libya, Syria and Yemen.

In Syria the protests gradually grew into a civil war with the West and Russia involved. Economic losses of the country since 2011 are estimated as $259 billion.

In countries where the protests resulted in change of power, the new leaders have been unable to cope with the problems that caused the original demonstrations, the authors of the report said.