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Until recently, Middle Eastern employers have shown little interest in using HRM practices. For many of them, "personnel" means "payroll" and not much else. Now a new interest in human resources has germinated among the region's business leaders, largely because of the quality, safety, and other standards seen as prerequisites to exporting, developing strategic alliances, and meeting the competitive challenges of the global market. Drawing from his experiences, the author demonstrates why and how such market forces are pushing for more strategic HRM practices, points out that the opportunity for human resources is significant, and warns that practitioners must not fall into the trap of using outdated and bureaucratic HR interventions.