The useless Arab League is neither Arab nor a league

[Guest Adnan Darwash]

Mr Enoch Powell, the English right-wing politician, once described the British Commonwealth as “there is no wealth and nothing in common.” While the Arab League the Arab League may be described as there is too much wealth and nothing in common. The Arab League was formed on March 22, 1945 by Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen. At present, there are 22 members with a population of 350 million inhabiting an area of close to 14 million square kilometres. Unlike the European Union which helped to open up the borders to facilitate movement of people and goods, the Arab countries continue to humiliate their people at their borders check points. In the late forties and early fifties the Arab league objected to the creation of Israel and the displacement of Palestinians. One of the most effective measures adopted was the Arab Economic Boycott of Israel. But with the increase in oil and gas revenues, a new class of prostrated Arab leaderships started to dominate the Arab league decisions. Instead of boycotting countries that finance and arm Israel to commit atrocities against Arabs, members of the Arab leagues are effectively rewarding them with lavish financial and business deals. To add insult to injury, the Arab League started to give an Arab Cover to USraeli attacks on member states. It happened in 1991 against Iraq, in 2006 against Lebanon, in 2008 against Gaza, and more recently against Libya and to the on-going onslaught on Syria. Naturally, no such actions were taken to defend the people of Yemen or Bahrain from the massacres committed by respected regimes; mainly because these regimes happen to embrace USraeli designs for the area.

It may be much more useful if the Arab league distance itself from political agendas and limit its activities to cultural, social and economic development. At present, the Arab people see the Arab League and its prostrated Egyptian leadership as a tool of the USraelis. Until the toppling of all the corrupt and autocratic Sheikhs, Emirs, Kings, Sultans and military Dictators; it is futile attempting to reform the Arab League while the head remain rotten.

Adnan Darwash, Iraq Occupation Times