The Superpower and the Worlds of disruption, stillness and disunity [Archives:2005/820/Opinion]

By Prof. Dr. Abdulaziz al-Tarb
For the Yemen Times
If Arabs stop for a while to scrutinize their situation, we will find that a few countries are looking forward to the future, and are moving slowly but steadily.

The rest of the Arab countries can be grouped into ones living in the world of disruption, others dwelling in the world of stillness, while the rest enjoy spending their lives in the world of disunity.

A quick reading of Arab contemporary history indicate obviously that each of the above mentioned worlds has its own characteristics that make it distinctive among others. Thus, each of them has to bear the consequences of being affiliated to any of those worlds either currently or in the future.

It is funny that the collective performance of all these words has affected directly and negatively on the vital interests of the Arab World on the personal and social levels. Arabs have lost their status in the regional and international arenas. Besides prostration, Arabs have also become the laughing stock and the notorious example of the whole world.

The World of Disruption in many countries including Iraq, Palestine, Somalia and Sudan witness a great deal of shedding of national blood and proliferation of internal conflicts among sects and groups. Such conflicts are endless and have no solutions.

These countries continue to pay the price of fanaticism and extremism and the loss of identity and the sense of national belonging as though lack of stability and the minimum level of security is the only and most ideal solution to the problem of disagreement among society's balances, instead of national reconciliation.

Despite the fact that the greatest country has become the judge and the executioner, and committed itself to the security and the suffering of these countries, it has ironically become the major and main reason for the continued anarchy in these countries because of the following factors:

– The Superpower lacks a realistic strategy to treat the ongoing situation, that takes into account the ethnic and sectarian composition and their interests and orientations.

– The Superpower does not understand the political reality and the cultural and historical background behind conflicts inflicting these countries.

– The Superpower has excluded the international and regional role from participation or intervention in the national reconciliation. It is persisting unchecked in order to dominate these countries.

– The Superpower draws solely on its military might to achieve stability and security without a real participation on the part of the national forces in shouldering the responsibility towards their homelands.

– All parties to the political and social system in these countries are claiming their own interests without considering the joint national interest. This fact has allowed the Superpower to make alliances with some groups at the expense of others.

Therefore, disturbance has become the general characteristic of the internal situation in these countries. Everyone wants to impose his own desire on others, and those who cannot get their likes try to prevent others from getting theirs. Those who fail to achieve their personal interests have nothing to do but to hamper the other party from getting his. Thus, vengeance, feuds and vowing allegiance to get at selfish interests characterize this world.

However, the World of Stillness colors many an Arab country in terms of their dealing with external and internal challenges. These countries think mistakenly that everything is perfect or at least nothing can be bettered. They insist to remain still fearing that any change might result in unpleasant outcomes which they can not face. At the same time, the policy of taking no stance on issues saves them from involving themselves in anything that may anger regional or international parties.

They excuse themselves with the pretext that current conditions necessitate adoption of the policy of prostration. Inclination is necessary for the storm (of the Super Empire) to pass without damage amidst its pursuing to refurbish its old image and take revenge for its wounded dignity indiscriminately on friends and foes.

Some countries' persist to eternally hibernate in the world of stillness and inaction so that the world will forget them and will not hold them accountable for anything. These countries, however, have reneged on their national and Arabic responsibility preferring cheap safety.

Despite the relative success of the Stillness World's countries up until now and their adherence to the slogan “He who fears is safe,” they do not know that the flood of challenges and threats, once inundating the region, will not discriminate between the Stillness World and others. A number of countries dwell in this world despite their will because of the simple reason of their having no opinion or stance.

The rest of the Arab countries are pleased with disunity and cherish the it-is-no-business-of-mine principle. They let things go spontaneously because they are aware that their stances are of no value and will have no effect. They feel that the Arab Nation deserves what it currently suffers because it has abandoned the keys to power (sciences, technology and knowledge revolution), and contented themselves with the breadcrumbs of all that.

According to them, the nation has tried to forget its past, detached from its present and be uninterested in its future. When it comes to give up weapons, these countries will react positively and give up very quickly without taking into account the national and Arabic interests or even getting a price for that.

And when it comes to shaking hands with Zionists or the allies of the Superpower, they do that wholeheartedly, clutching at the principle of “surrender” as a substitute for the culture of prostration.

What is surprising that the Disunity World are still lifting the banner of Arab nationalism and unity against challenges. They give vent to hollow and resounding slogans against the Super Empire and its maltreatment of Arabs and Islam. This does not mean that these regimes suffer political schizophrenia, but it is only a technique to remain in the chair as long as possible.

It is regrettable that the Disunity World does not feel how much backwardness, weakness and disunity they cause to the national, vital issues. They do not know that they are the source of the current spirit of apathy in the Arab public opinion as well as the present helpless situation of the Arab World before what is happening in the World of Disruption.

It is certain that this division in the Arab World making most of its states dwell in their own cocoons (Disruption, Stillness or Disunity) puts the Arab countries who want to get past the bottleneck at a crossroad. Not only that, it also makes them unsupported in front of challenges, threats, and persistent dangers posed at the Arab World.

They are already burdened with the task of stopping anarchy, motioning the still and stagnant waters, and reconnecting the disunited. Though all of us have the premonition that the Arab Boat is sinking, yet nobody has offered the life boat or even try to escape the inevitable fate.

What has been mentioned emphasizes the concern about the future of the very few Arab countries who are unbounded by the mentioned three worlds because they may be affected by their negative influences or may contract any of their diseases. The price might be their detachment of the Arab body and joining some Asian or Mediterranean groupings where they can save their ambitions from the worlds of Disruption, Stillness and Disunity.
——
[archive-e:820-v:13-y:2005-d:2005-02-28-p:opinion]