Is there an Arab world?

Is there an Arab world? That was the question posed by an American college professor as we sat across a table in an Egyptian seaside resort. My mind traversed the history books I have read, the events I have witnessed and the predicament we are going through across the Middle East.

From the Ottoman Empire to the Sykes-Picot agreement 100 years ago to the wave of Arab nationalism in the 1950s and 60, the desire for a pan-Arab world existed in the ethos of the Arab people.

However, between desire and fulfillment there existed a great gap. Some flickers of hope were lit when the Arab League was founded in 1945.

However, no collective action could be undertaken as huge events and political upheavals took place right from the start. The creation of Israel by a unilateral decision, displacement of hundreds of thousands of refugees, coups d’etat and bloody revolutions in the newly formed Arab states whose border demarcations were mostly deformed — all were the ingredients that led to the present day regional predicament.

The lack of continued uncertainty, dabbling in ideologies, lack of statesmanship and relegation of people’s interest created chaos. To add fuel to the fire, adventurism by certain Arab leaders, the Iraq-Iran war, the invasion of Kuwait, and the tyranny of the powerful all added to the woes of the Arabs who basically like any other people wanted a life of dignity, progress and peace.

However, that was not meant to be. No civil institutions were set up by dictators, in whispered tones across many Arab lands people talked about Zawaar Al-Lail or the “night visitors” alluding to the dreaded mabahith or secret police. Thousands disappeared in Syria, Iraq, Libya and elsewhere.

Intra-Arab relations

To compound the miseries of the Arab world, intra-Arab relations were mostly based on personal relations between Arab leaders. Woe betide the nationals of their countries if the leaders fell out. The whole population would be castigated and the propaganda machines of the respective countries would blare out.

A subservient media would exchange abuses. The fragmentation process continued with the barbaric attack on Iraq in 2003, its deliberate disintegration, the Libyan attack, the Syrian conflict and the mismanagement of the Arab Spring.

So the question arises: Is there still an Arab world?

We cannot afford but to remain optimistic. The GCC countries are an example of continued cooperation and unity while maintaining their national identities. This has brought a sense of order to the Gulf region. Other Arab states in the Maghreb and the Levant can do well by following this example.

And that is what the Arab people want — a house in order.

This article was first published in the Saudi Gazette on Apr. 18, 2016.
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Khaled Almaeena is a veteran Saudi journalist, commentator, businessman and the editor-at-large of the Saudi Gazette. Almaeena has held a broad range of positions in Saudi media for over thirty years, including CEO of a PR firm, Saudi Television news anchor, talk show host, radio announcer, lecturer and journalist. As a journalist, Almaeena has represented Saudi media at Arab summits in Baghdad, Morocco and elsewhere. In 1990, he was one of four journalists to cover the historic resumption of diplomatic ties between Saudi Arabia and Russia. He also traveled to China as part of this diplomatic mission. Almaeena's political and social columns appear regularly in Gulf News, Asharq al-Aswat, al-Eqtisadiah, Arab News, Times of Oman, Asian Age and The China Post. He can be reached at kalmaee[email protected] and followed on Twitter: @KhaledAlmaeena.