IMEC and the Abraham Accords – Economic Integration as a Foundation for Regional Peace

Israel

By Thomas Tory, BBN News

When Samuel Shay discusses the India Middle East Europe Corridor, he does not limit his analysis to the technical details of transport, logistics, or trade. For him, IMEC is a geopolitical turning point. It is a framework capable of reshaping the Middle East by translating economic cooperation into a stable and peaceful regional system. Shay, a leading economic strategist and one of the key figures advancing cross regional development under the Abraham Accords, argues that IMEC is the natural continuation of the normalization agreements. He calls it the first large scale infrastructure project that transforms diplomatic documents into economic reality.

In his meetings with ministers, city leaders, and business executives from across the region, Shay consistently emphasizes one idea. Peace is built through shared interests. When economies are connected, when investments flow across borders, when citizens begin to benefit from mutual prosperity, political tensions lose their power. The Abraham Accords created this opening. IMEC, he says, gives it structure.

Shay explains that IMEC is not just a connectivity project linking India to Europe. It is a platform for Arab countries and Israel to collaborate in ways that were impossible a decade ago. The corridor passes through the heart of the Middle East and creates an integrated economic zone that includes the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Israel, and eventually additional partners. According to Shay, this shared geographic and economic alignment forms a new regional identity, one based not on ideology but on development.

During a closed briefing with regional stakeholders, Shay described the corridor as the backbone of a long term regional partnership. He noted that the UAE and Saudi Arabia have already positioned themselves as global logistics hubs and major investors in large infrastructure projects. Israel contributes technological innovation and advanced manufacturing. Jordan offers a strategic geographic role and an expanding workforce. Together, these countries create a pipeline of goods, energy, digital systems, and human capital that strengthens interdependence.

Shay often explains that the Abraham Accords were never meant to be solely diplomatic agreements. Their purpose was to create new engines of economic growth. IMEC is the most powerful of these engines. It enables joint industrial zones, shared innovation parks, cross border energy systems, and supply chains connecting Gulf markets with Mediterranean ports. These projects, in his view, are the building blocks of a new regional economy where cooperation becomes the standard, not the exception.

One of Shay’s strongest arguments is that IMEC gives Arab countries and Israel a shared incentive to maintain stability. Countries that invest together are countries that protect each other’s interests. When cargo moves through multiple borders, when fiber optic networks cross national lines, and when energy systems are jointly operated, conflict becomes too costly to sustain. Shay notes that this logic was proven repeatedly in Asia and Europe. Now, for the first time, it is taking shape in the Middle East.

Shay also highlights the role of Jordan as a pivotal connector. He argues that Jordan stands to gain economically and socially through its integration into the corridor. The development of logistics centers, industrial parks, and innovation clusters on Jordanian territory can create thousands of jobs and new opportunities for the region’s youth. Jordan’s stability, he insists, is central to the success of IMEC and to the long term vision of the Abraham Accords.

Another element that Shay underscores is the potential integration of Palestinian economic zones into the broader regional system once conditions permit. He believes that economic development is essential for long term stability and that Palestinian industries can, in the future, be linked to IMEC routes in ways that provide employment, training, and access to regional markets. Although the conditions today are complex, Shay maintains that economic inclusion will eventually prove more powerful than political isolation.

In his broader regional view, IMEC also strengthens the Middle East’s strategic position vis a vis global powers. By linking India, the Gulf, Israel, Jordan, and Europe into one economic architecture, the region gains leverage in global markets and becomes less vulnerable to disruptions in traditional maritime routes. Shay has explained in multiple forums that the Middle East can become a central economic axis connecting Asia and Europe, not just a transit zone between them.

Shay’s analysis consistently blends economic insight with strategic vision. He argues that the Middle East is entering an era where peace is built not through negotiations alone but through factories, railways, ports, data lines, and partnerships. When leaders see billions of dollars in shared projects on the ground, the incentives for cooperation become structurally embedded.

For Shay, IMEC is the practical extension of the Abraham Accords. It turns political agreements into economic systems. It offers Arab countries and Israel a shared future. It creates new pathways for development, investment, and technological exchange. Most importantly, in his view, it gives the region a tangible reason to remain stable.

As he told regional officials in one of his recent conversations, peace is strongest when it is profitable for everyone. IMEC, he says, makes peace profitable.