28 Dec. 2000 - 3 Jan. 2001
Issue No.514
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 28 Dec. 2000 - 3 Jan. 2001 Issue No.514 |
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A revolution of dignity
2000 is the year of failed negotiations with Israel. It started with negotiations between Syria and Israel, which broke down on the issue of complete Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights. The year ends with a desperate bid to salvage negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.
The truly significant force at work beneath the surface of Arab international activity this year is what may justifiably be called a revolution of dignity. Dignity is the key to Syria's determination not to concede an inch of its land to Israel. Dignity also explains the long resistance that forced the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon this year.
Arab societies have interacted with the Intifada much more forcefully than with any other event in the past decade. This is to be understood as a sharp reaction to a pervasive sense of humiliation caused by the way Israel and the US have treated the Palestinians and the Arabs at large. It is also dignity that explains the US's failure to bring down the Iraqi and Lebanese regimes.
Dignity is the byword for a deep-seated and still prevalent school of Arab political practice. An equally old and re-emerging school advocates rationalism as the rallying platform of politics. For the Arabs to maintain true dignity in a harsh and competitive world, they need to do things differently: specifically, they need to reform their political structures and modernise their societies quickly. While resistance is the key to dignity, achievement is the road to victory and success. It should not be difficult to foresee a compromise that combines traditional and modern views of politics.
*This week's Soapbox speaker is deputy director of the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.
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