Moving Toward Regional Integration of the Arab League
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ODUMUNC 2017 Issue Brief Arab League Moving Toward Regional Integration of the Arab League by Sean McGuffin Old Dominion University Introduction Member States, whether it be politically, militarily, economically, or socially. It is up to The Arab League has fostered cooperation each delegation to contribute its countries views between Arab states since its founding in 1945. on integration, and to ensure its position is well Its membership has grown from six original served in any final decisions. Integration and signatories to twenty-two Member States, plus reform can occur across the whole of the league Observer States, that stretch from the Maghreb all at once in a single resolution or can be to the Indian Ocean. Since the first days of the proposed and voted on piece meal in sections that pertain to different types of integration. In Arab emancipation and the Arab Revolt against some cases integration at a sub-regional level their imperial Ottoman Turkish rulers in 1916, among smaller groupings of states within the many Arabs have dreamed of a single Arab Arab League may be conceived, but as this is a entity to unify its far-flung peoples. While such meeting of the entire Arab League it is preferred unity hasn’t been seen in hundreds of years, the that proposals mostly pertain to the whole entire Arab world may need to cooperate further with organization. one another to face the many threats that geography, international terrorism, vast youth A major barrier to integration is presence of unemployment, corruption, and external threats observer states, non-members like Turkey who pose. are Islamic, but not Arab. How much can thy be included in integration plans? If not included, do Integration and unification of the Member States they have an incentive and the power to stop the of the Arab League is an old but still distant others? goal. The Arab League has little in common with the far more advanced European Union Who is an Arab? (EU), in which Member States give up sovereignty to maximize trade and easy human Arab is a cultural and linguistic term referring to movement. It also is behind much more modest those who speak Arabic as their first language, regional organizations the Association of have cultural likeness with common notions of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), that have Arab cultural expression, and self-identify as an done more to promote free trade. Why has the Arab. It should be noted, Arab is not a religious Arab League not achieved more, despite the term. Likewise, nowhere in the Arab League great similarities of many of its members? And Charter does it mention religion. Though the what can be done to make the Arab World more Arab World encompasses an estimated 420 coherent, unified and powerful? million people and expands over a massive area, Arabs as a group are relatively homogenous given their size. The Arab language has many Mission dialects across the Arab world that can challenge Arabs to understand one another at times, and The Arab League’s mission is to enact reforms there are still differences in custom that to better integrate the policies and laws of its influence the people in different regions. Arab League Moving Toward Regional Integration of the Arab League However, these are small given the cultural further integrations are to become a reality, it is similarities that bind Arabs together as a possible the charter will need to be amended. If common people.1 so, a 2/3 majority is needed (Article 19). Such possible amendments could reform any number of procedural or constitutional items, but that 2 How the League Works will be left to the body’s imagination. Past Integration Attempts Arabs as a people have been divided and occupied for hundreds of years, but there have been contemporary attempts by Arab heads of state like Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt and Muammar al-Gaddafi of Libya to unite at least portions of the Arab world together. Many of these attempts were founded in appeals to popular Pan-Arabism or a grasp at power, but their failures show how to improve upon their mistakes. The United Arab Republic, 1958- 1961, was a union between Egypt and Syria under Nasser, at the time the Egyptian President. The league itself is an international organization The primary reason for its formation was comprised entirely of states with populations strategic convenience that was too good to pass and, therefore governments, who culturally up. Its failure was due almost entirely to identify as Arab states. To clarify, a culture is Nasser’s own policies. He isolated his political not a religion or race, but set of commonly held supporters in Syria in a move to consolidate values that center around history, custom, and power, and instituted very unpopular policies of language. The league's charter has a few details reform that didn’t win him much support and it would be good to know. A majority of didn’t fix many problems. 3 Similar plans for decisions of the league are binding only to the unity were proposed by former Libyan dictator states that accept them, and unanimous decisions Gaddafi. He attempted to unify Libya with are binding upon all (Article 7). Each member Tunisia and another state of North Africa, and shall respect the system of government in the another time with Egypt and Syria. These other states (Article 8). In case of aggression upon any member an emergency convening can be called where decisions are made unanimously upon how to deal with the threat (Article 6). If 2 League oF Arab States, Charter oF Arab League, 22 1 “Facts about Arabs and the Arab World,” American March 1945, available at: Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, (2009, http://www.reFworld.org/docid/3ae6b3ab18.html. Washington DC.) 3 James P. Jankowski, “Nasser's Egypt, Arab http://www.adc.org/2009/11/Facts-about-arabs- Nationalism, and the United Arab Republic,” Lynne and-the-arab-world/ Rienner Publishers, (2002, London). Arab League Moving Toward Regional Integration of the Arab League attempts were called the Arab Islamic Republic movement of goods and people and the revision and Federation of Arab Republics respectively.4 of customs policy, with the possibility of political union. The grouping has several All of these plans failed for multiple reasons, internal bodies including an investment bank, an particularly each leader’s inability to come to an international tribunal, and council of foreign understanding on how to integrate their very 5 ministers. Yet for all of this, the grouping has different countries. The competition and never been capable of making real progress due consolidation of personal power has also to internal political squabbles, chiefly between constantly and regularly thwarted many attempts Algeria and Morocco.6 at unity. If this body is to succeed in its goal, then it required the creation of a system that Another, and overall more successful, regional plays to mutual benefit and protects the interest bloc of Arab states is the Gulf Cooperation of the component members involved without Council (GCC), which has recently changed its appearing to be a clear power grab for one leader name to the Cooperation Council for the Arab or another. Additionally, they need to accept the States of the Gulf. This grouping of six states, all very different social and economic systems each centered on the Persian Gulf, have several state operates under, and plan some sort of different cooperative and international methodology to handle these differences. groupings, but one of the most significant is Finally, Arab leaders need follow through. Many their recent finalization of a Customs Union agreements have been made in the spirit of Pan- between all six states. This has free trade Arabism to appease the public, but would then between them, a common external tariff, and a be ignored. system of shared customs duties based off economic weigh.7 Integration Integration can mean something different depending on how much integration a group of states intend to press. At one end is political integration, fully incorporating different states 5“MAGHREB ARAB UNION – MAU,” European together to have one fully sovereign unit, but Institute for Research on Mediterranean and Euro- issues are abound when tackling the daunting Arab Cooperation, (Brussels), task of integrating a state’s economy, http://www.medea.be/en/countries/arab-world- immigration, security, and foreign policy. Many general/maghreb-arab-union-mau/. states in the league have partnerships with 6 John Thorne, “The liberated Maghreb looks to cooperation groups with other Arab states in economic union,” The National, (February 17, 2012, smaller groupings. Abu Dhabi) http://www.thenational.ae/news/world/middle- One such group is Arab Maghreb Union, created east/the-liberated-maghreb-looks-to-economic- in 1989. The purpose of this five member union union. of North African states was to enhance the free 7 “GCC customs union fully operational,” The Peninsula, (January 03, 2015, Doha Qatar,) 4 “Libya and Arab Unity,” U.S. Library oF Congress, http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/news/middle- http://countrystudies.us/libya/32.htm. east/314466/gcc-customs-union-fully-operational. Arab League Moving Toward Regional Integration of the Arab League Security Integration Arab states have also looked to integrate their strategic planning council than a fully respective military apparatuses for greater cooperative military network.10 collective security, as well as a tool to be used Militarily the League has uncertainty and against what many view as their common instability in many locations. Libya is still torn enemy, Israel. While the League has attempted apart by civil war as different militias jockey for to do this in the past it could be something this position.