Conflict of wills in the Arab land [Archives:2007/1018/Opinion]

Dr. Yassin Saeed Nouman
In 2006 there was no evidence that the Arab joint action had taken even one step forward or the politics architects in this field had proved to have serious comprehension of the real dangers the Arabs were exposed to because of their failures to achieve any progress at the level of cooperation and Arab joint action.

The year should have witnessed fruitful cooperation among Arab countries. That is because of the big challenges the Arabs faced in Iraq, Palestine, Somalia, Lebanon and Sudan where the political and social situation fluctuated as an expression of instability that was threatening the entire region. The financial surpluses that amounted, only in the Gulf region, to more than $600 billion in 2005 inspired hope to solve the problem of poverty, even if partially. That was because of the absence of a mechanism and incentives for the travel of capitals among the Arab countries and also the environment encouraging strategic investment in Arab countries

Poverty and continuous recession in the living standard and social services, the deterioration of the education standard, unemployment among youth and increase its averages in an unprecedented form, and absence of political, intellectual and social freedoms have all created a convenient climate for the emergence of violence, extremism and terror.

The retreat of American interest in democracy and freedoms in the Middle East in particular has led to rebuilding the idea of “the stable state”” in the regional political consciousness at the expense of democracy and the political and intellectual freedoms. That had produced an outstanding negative impact on political mobility