Dr. Geoff Dolman, PhD
Dr. Dolman reflected on the experience he has gained in the various countries where he has worked, including Oman, Egypt, Iraq, Nigeria, and Afghanistan. In his opinion only permanently-established, long-term projects have a chance to foster the kind of prosperity that can improve regional peace. Short-term projects he was involved in, such as the cultivation of edible oil plants in Egypt, guaranteed rice marketing in Nigeria, and replacement of poppy crops in Afghanistan, had only limited success. More successful were a longer-term project to provide water for desert crops in Oman sponsored by an oil company and various initiatives in education and infrastructure organized by the highly respected NGO Mercy Corps.