Generalizations about youth crime in Arab nations are limited by the diversity of the 22 Arab nations in Asia and Africa. However, these nations share a social and cultural base. Youth crime is a less serious problem in these countries than in other parts of the world. Differences in definitions of crimes, the nations' limited experience in gathering and recording criminal statistics, and the lack of coordination among criminal justice agencies all hamper action-oriented research on youth crime. Criminological thinking in the Arab world has gone through three phases. The establishment of the Arab Security Studies and Training Center in Riyad in 1980 has led to growth of the Arab world's involvement in criminal justice research. The research is problem-oriented. The attitudes of policymakers toward research vary from one nation to another and depend largely on economic and political considerations. Future research should focus on developing common definitions and reporting systems, understanding the factors that relate to violent offenses and drug violations among youths, improving training and responses to emergencies, and developing community-based alternatives to incarceration. Notes and 163 references.