You are here

A pan-Arab initiative is needed

Jul 12,2018 - Last updated at Jul 12,2018

The current state of inter-Arab and intra-Arab affairs is entirely unacceptable.

For decades, there have been jealousies, frictions and even levels of animosity among Arab countries.

Nevertheless, never has the state of pan-Arab affairs been so disappointing, and in shambles.

Since the advent of the ominous "Arab spring", not only have several major Arab countries become, in effect, failed states, but relations among Arab countries as a whole deteriorated and worsened in unprecedented ways.

Such an unwelcome development affected all negatively.

Individually, most Arab countries, both those which fell prey to the violence brought by the so-called Arab spring "revolutions" and those which were spared the violence, have weakened, due to both political and economic mishaps.

Collectively, Arab countries are in an equally vulnerable and weak position, and they are all prey now to foreign intervention, both from within and without the region.

More than seven years have passed since 2011, and we see no winners in the Arab world, as a result of this state of discord and chaos.

Such a sorry state has got to come to an end, and inter-Arab relations need to be reconstructed and built according to a new vision, a new order.

Bickering, jealousies, tension and violence lead only to more bickering, jealousies, tension and violence.

Relations among Arab peoples, who share the same geography, suffer from the same problems and hold the same aspirations, need to be built on mutual respect and mutual interest.

All countries belonging to a certain region and sharing the same geography need to be on good terms with each other, socially, politically and economically, if they are to count in today's world.

South East Asia, Latin America and Europe furnish important examples in this regard.

It is time for the Arab countries to follow suit and learn important lessons that countries in specific regions survive, develop and thrive through wise diplomacy, through dialogue and understanding, through recognition and respect of each and all within the region, big and small and through "evolution" rather than "revolution".

An initiative to this very end, and on the basis of these very principles, needs to come from within the Arab world, with zero interference from outside.

up
43 users have voted, including you.


Newsletter

Get top stories and blog posts emailed to you each day.

PDF