How long can this go on?

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Once again, the outcome of an Arab summit highlights the schism between the demands of the Arab street and the actions of Arab leaders. At the very time the leaders were congregating in Tunis, television networks were interviewing the homeless in Gaza. As usual, the homeless wanted what the leaders, or those sent to attend the summit in their stead, couldn't offer.

Only days before the summit, rumours were rife on whether the summit would be held and on the number of leaders willing to attend. And yet analysts were having a field day about the unprecedented perils and challenges facing Arabs and the very existence of the Arab League. Nevertheless, some leaders decided to stay away from the summit, as if domestic considerations mattered more than their shared responsibility to the Arab nation. Only 13 of 22 Arab leaders showed up in Tunis.

To make matters worse, the Libyan president walked out of the opening session in protest against the agenda, of which he was aware before coming to the summit (not the least because it was published in the media days before). The Bahraini prime minister, the Algerian president and the Moroccan and Jordanian monarchs left Tunis before the final session was held, and the final statement issued. One can safely conclude that the final recommendations will soon be forgotten. In the absence of Arab collective resolve, what use are pleas to foreign powers or the revival of peace initiatives?

The summit proved, yet again, that there is a deep credibility crisis in the Arab world. Arab regimes do not derive their legitimacy from the public but from the past and the status quo. Political longevity is what the whole political scene is about, not elections, not constitutions. It is no secret that some Arab countries failed to attend the summit, or left early, for fear of coups in their absence. Their desire to stay in power has, evidently, outstripped their concern for the Arab people as a whole.