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SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 2008
22:20 MECCA TIME, 19:20 GMT
Arab Unity: The end?
Infighting, political disputes and alliances
with foreign powers have led to a very
visible disunity at the Arab League summit in Damascus [AFP]
The Arab League – a symbol of the search for unity – has too often been an
arena for regional disputes.
The league was established in 1945 with
the goal of strengthening ties amongst its member states and
co-ordinating policies for their common good.
But in reality, Arab League meetings have too often been marked by heated
disputes and divisions between individual members.
Has the dream of Arab unity run out of steam?
As the 20th Arab Summit gets underway in Damascus, Arab governments appear more
divided than ever.
Whereas previous Arab summits have
exposed cracks in unity and nationalism, this year the differences have
become more public - and pronounced.
Nearly half of the 22-member Arab League
is represented in Damascus by low-ranking official delegations. Lebanon
is boycotting the sessions entirely.
Some commentators have blamed US
influence on its Arab allies as one of the reasons behind attemps to
scuttle the summit. Others have blamed Iran.
Dangerous crossroads
"Our blood and our language may be one, but there is nothing that can unite us"
Gaddafi, the Libyan presidentObservers of Arab history believe the divisions
come at the most dangerous of crossroads in the Middle East.
The peace process between Israel and the
Palestinians remains as elusive as ever; human rights organisations say
the people of Gaza are on the verge of a catastrophe as the
Israeli-enforced economic blockade continues.
Political infighting and armed clashes between Fatah and Hamas have also taken
their toll.
Iraq, on the fifth anniversary of the
US-led invasion and occupation, is falling apart as the much-feared
sectarian warfare enters a new dimension - fierce fighting between
rival Shia factions and the Shia-led Iraqi government.
Lebanon is without a president and
internal political disputes have boiled over into the international
sphere with France and the US blaming Syria and Iran for much of the
country's woes.
Algeria and Morocco still have ongoing
disputes over the Western Sahara. Sudan has been unable to bring
stability to Darfur as tensions soar with neighbouring Chad.
Somalia enters its second decade of disarray with the central government in
Mogadishu unable to assert control on armed tribes.
This is the Arab nation of 2008.
Disunity and inaction
Gaddafi bitterly - and bluntly - criticised
Arab leaders for their disunity [GETTY] MuammarGaddafi, the Libyan president,
poured contempt on fellow Arab leadersat the Damascus summit that has been
overshadowed by the absence ofseveral key leaders.
Gaddafi asked: "How can we accept that a foreign power comes to topple an Arab
leader while we stand watching?"
He said Saddam Hussein, the executed Iraqi president, had once been an ally of
Washington, "but they sold him out".
"Your turn is next," Gaddafi told the
Arab officials gathered for the conference, some of whom looked stunned
while others broke into laughter at his frankness.
In his speech, the Libyan leader also criticised Arab disunity and inaction on
the region's multiple crises.
"Where is the Arabs' dignity, their future, their very existence? Everything
has disappeared," he said.
"Our blood and our language may be one, but there is nothing that can unite us."
Hoping for unity
But Ahmed Bin Hali, a
senior Arab League official, played down differences and said that
there will always be diverse political currents in the Arab nation.
"The Arabs, in co-ordination with the
Iraqi government, must open a discussion with the US - with the
inclusion of Turkey and Iran - to stabilise Iraq," he told Al Jazeera.
He said that the Damascus summit will provide Arab leaders a chance to overcome
their differences and stabilise relations.
Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem al-Thani, theQatari prime minister and minister of
foreign affairs, said Arab Leaguesummits provide member states the opportunity
to air their differencesand to try to bridge the gaps that may exist between
them.
He said he disagreed with the concept of boycotting the summit.
"If we have differences with Syria, we will face Syria and discuss these
differences," Sheikh Hamad said recently.
A unifying media?
A Question of Arab Unity Web special coverage
Arabs Seek Common Cause
Spanning 22 countries with 320 million people, they share three general
commonalities.
Revolution Calling
With promises of a unified state broken, uprisings and revolt swept the Middle
East.
Rising Nationalism
Secularism and Islamism emerged as political movements during the 1920s and 30s.
1948: A Cause for Arab Unity?
The creation of the State of Israel became a rallying call for Arab nationalism.
Nasser's Age of Revolution
In 1952, an Egyptian army officer stepped forward to lead the drive for Arab
unity.
In the ninth and concluding part of Al Jazeera's nine-part series, A Question
of Arab Unity, we
explore the relationship between Arab countries and their media, and
explore whether political differences can be bridged culturally.
The Arab World is being brought together
in a shared cultural and political experience by trans-national media
based on fast evolving satellite technology.
Pan-Arab media are creating platforms for dialogue and for shared experiences -
and in the process are bringing Arabs together.
Slogans like the "Arab Street" are being
bandied about and the ordinary citizen is voicing discontent with state
of the world around him.
Building on a common language and
traditions, the people of the region are sharing their experiences in
ways that were unimaginable even a decade ago.
The proliferation of independent media means hard-hitting realities are often
televised and reported immediately.
And Arab audiences have access to an
instant and close-up view of the daily struggles, squabbles and
suffering of their fellow Arabs.
But this has lead to accusations that the new media has been a force of
disunity in the region.
Source: Al Jazeera
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