African Union:A source of inspiration for Arabs [Archives:2004/722/Viewpoint]

One day, the European Union was only an idea. Today it has become a reality. Today, the African Union is also an idea slowly evolving. I have no doubt that it will one day be achieved.
But for us Arabs, the idea of the Arab Union has not fully developed yet, and that warns of consequences in possible delays and disruptions for any potential strong position for the Arab world.
Last week, the African Union inaugurated its Pan-African Parliament in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. This has been meant to be a booster of efforts to bring a common stand in issues of interest to the whole continent, and it proved to be influential.
Millions of Africans throughout the continent hailed this step, naming it a historic move towards a unified Africa with common objectives and prosperous future.
Looking into our conditions as Arabs today, we see the many divisions, border disputes, gaps in stances on local and foreign issues, and sometimes envy and hate between us. Ironically, this is happening to countries that share many aspects with each other including language, religion, culture, heritage, history, etc.
The other interesting point here is that we are left behind other alliances that have united even though they share little in common compared to ours. But they have something very important in common, and that is political will, which is the thing missing in the case of Arabs.
Historically speaking, the League of Arab States or Arab League was formed in Cairo in March 1945, for the purpose of securing Arab unity, or forming the Arab Union. Because of inter-Arab rivalries, the League has generally been unable to pursue a consistent agenda beyond general opposition to Israel and other hypothetical duties that have resulted in very little results.
The anticipated expansion of the European Union to 25 members and the recent inauguration of the African Union need to be a source of inspiration to our Arab leaders to bring their countries out of their stagnancy and weakness which are a direct result of years of differences, rivalries, and conflicts of interests or ideologies.
There are somewhat humble efforts exerted to reform the Arab League and bring the change anticipated to start a new page in working together rather than against each other.
With the recent reforms proposed to the structure and work of the Arab League, there is a bit of optimism in the horizon. Yet, this may end up as a failure if commitment is not seen and felt in the Arab regimes, which is the case in many attempts of the past.
What we need to learn from African nations is that commitment is the first step towards achieving dreams. This is how one can visualize any change in the Arab world.
Of course, there should always be internal reforms within Arab countries as well as steps towards unification. The two go hand in hand to provide a platform for a democratic Arab Union that can have a strong role on the global arena.
However, from what we can see so far in Arab countries, there is little evidence of major reforms. There are reformists being imprisoned in some countries, freedoms oppressed in others. This signals a dangerous sign of unwillingness to change and do major reforms.
There can be no alternative for Arab regimes to real change that comes from within.
Learning from the African Union's experience will be a positive step towards becoming a region respected and appreciated throughout the world.
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