Intersecting events

By Salama A Salama

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Two courses of events have intersected in one fateful moment. Europe is moving forward, celebrating the collective desire of its nations to modernise and heal centuries- old rifts. Meanwhile, a revolution bereft of a cause is morphing for the sake of survival, yet clinging still to a Bedouin past, to the anachronisms of Arabian Nights. The intersection of these two courses created a theatrical plot of dazzling dimensions, a drama full of action, fruitful in ways, futile in others.

In the first course of events, old Europe is gathering the stray strands of the formerly communist outreaches, braiding them together. Europe is infusing itself with new blood in a union that brings together 25 countries under the same roof, into an economic bloc surpassing that of the US across the Atlantic. Considerations of sovereignty and petty rivalries have been swept aside for the sake of future prosperity and freedom. With singing and dancing, the small nations of Europe launched themselves onto a new era. No longer will they be confined to the cold and dark peripheries. No longer will they have to play second fiddle to Europe's virtuosity. No longer will they be seen as marauding gypsies or servile serfs. They have made it to the big league.

Only a few hours before Europe was to throw one of the biggest parties in its history, a legendary prince landed in Brussels, setting up his Bedouin tent on the lawn of the European Commission. He needed two extra planes to travel. One for the escort of female bodyguards. One for his white Mercedes. The prince was meeting European leaders for the first time after years of estrangement during which he had become a household name, a byword for evil and terror. He came back to Europe like a prodigal son, repenting for years of mutiny, for years of national liberation that is no longer in fashion.

The two courses of events intersected. The encounter between East and West was familiar, in a heart-wrenching way. The East paraded its exoticism and the West gasped in patronising restraint. Some things never change. Some parts of the world know how not to change. The enchantment was heightened by the prince's comments about democracy and parliamentary representation. He said the latter are gimmicks devised to deceive the masses. The European hosts chuckled, reacting with bemused tolerance. They knew the legendary prince was going to comply in all matters of consequence.

The Europeans see our region as a land of wonder, a marvel freed from the burdens of civilisation. The prince will allow his country to be integrated into the Barcelona trading arrangements. The region will do its best to keep its impoverished immigrants from flooding European shores. What more can one ask for?

These intersecting courses of events have a life of their own. The twin drama is still unfolding. The expansion of the EU is still a gamble of unforeseen dimensions. A unified economy does not necessarily imply a unified political will. Europe is still a political dwarf, for it is yet to have a unified foreign policy. There is safety, as well as indecision, in numbers. The US is, of course, discouraging Europe from challenging its global supremacy. The current situation in Palestine and Iraq is a case in point. Arab countries, still rubbing their eyes in slumberous disbelief, may end up benefiting from EU expansion. When this happens, the intersecting course of events will be of use.