The Arab League
By
Naguib Mahfouz
Those who call for the dismantling of the Arab League ignore the sentiments that link Arabs everywhere. The Arab world shares the same language, after all, and language defines the space within which culture and national identity operate. There are strong links between all Arabs, and the Arab League, whatever its shortcomings, is an essential expression of those links.
If the Arab League failed to stop the war against Iraq, or failed in other respects, that merely reflects the failure of Arabs themselves. The League is not a separate entity, and its power is that of its member nations. If Arabs failed to stop the war they were not alone. No one else in the world could stop the war either.
I do believe in the value and relevance of the Arab League irrespective of circumstances, but I feel that it will only be deemed important given certain conditions: that it is not held responsible for things it could not possibly control, and that it is not assigned responsibilities with which it is not equipped to deal. It could, for example, play a greater cultural role. Another sensible development would be to allow majority votes rather than unanimous votes to be binding. How can we expect all 22 members to agree on everything.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy
