No more secrets
Questions such as Iraq and Palestine are as much a part of domestic policy as are issues of democratisation inseparable from foreign policy, argues Mustafa El-Feki*
The walls of isolation have fallen and protectionist policies have all but disappeared; no longer can a regime erect a wall around the nation it rules, keeping its citizens behind closed doors. International developments over the past two decades, along with the revolution in communications and information technology, have put an end to isolation once and for all. It is no longer possible to hide the truth or conceal the facts of a given situation. Indeed, foreign affairs have become a domestic matter. It may be instructive to take as an example an opinion poll that asked Egyptians from a variety of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds what they considered to be their number one domestic concern. Surprisingly enough, the answer was not unemployment, the housing crisis, inefficient transportation, or the liquidity crisis, but the Palestinian issue.
As the poll illustrates, foreign and regional affairs have become matters of public concern in many countries. Foreign and domestic policies are complementary -- inseparable to a great degree. Taking Egypt, again, as an example, we find that one of the reasons that under Sadat the country differed from that of Abdel-Nasser was the way foreign policy came to be reflected in domestic policy. Because of Abdel-Nasser's closeness to the Soviet Union, it was only natural that his domestic policies were based on a planned economy and a centralised political system. When Sadat came to power and wanted to deepen relations with the West, and the US, in particular, he had to present new credentials. He thus adopted liberal economic measures and a democratic platform as a prelude to a return to the pluralistic political system that had been abolished with the 1952 Revolution. This again shows us that foreign and domestic policies are inseparable.
Foreign policy is a natural extension of domestic policy, and this is true now more than ever. No nation can remain closed on the inside while speaking about opening up abroad, nor can a state pursue undemocratic policies, demonstrate an utter lack of respect for the law or human rights, while at the same time hoping to be viewed as a respected player in international or even regional politics.
Globalisation and the startling evolution of information technology and communications have made the world an open book, giving everyone the ability to look into his neighbour's backyard and discover how politically and economically developed he really is. Similarly, democracy, human rights and the protection of minorities have become influential factors in shaping the way nations see one another. Taking Israel as an example, it should be conceded that it has excelled in selling itself as a flourishing democracy, offering an unduly complementary image of its domestic political system, which is, in fact, based on racism and discrimination between Arabs and Jews, and even between Jews of Western and Eastern origin. Despite these shortcomings, Israel has successfully enlisted the domestic in the service of the foreign. In other words, it has exploited Israeli democracy to the benefit of foreign policy, such that Knesset resolutions and the process of forming government coalitions have become tools for negotiations and a means to exert pressure in the foreign sphere.
If, on the other hand, we take the Arabs, we must admit that we have failed to use our domestic affairs to improve our image abroad. We are constantly accused of lacking democracy and political pluralism, of having ineffective parliamentary representation, of authoritarianism and even dictatorship. We have paid for our inability to defend ourselves, and will continue to do so in the future.
The disappearance of political barriers and intellectual borders has, to a great degree, done away with geographical borders as well, almost wiping out the fingerprints of history. As a result, the common ground between nations has expanded, and national cultures have met and mingled. We need only compare a child or a young person in a developing country with their peers in the developed world to see that the distance between them is much shorter than it was only a few decades ago. The skies are open, and television screens are constantly on our trail, exerting their power over us as they likely will over future generations. A nation's foreign policy has become a mirror of its domestic reality. We can no longer whitewash the truth and hide our shortcomings under the cover of international modesty. Indeed, no regime is beyond accountability, either to the international community that monitors it or the press that criticises and accuses it. Free trade, the flow of commodities and services, and the transfer of capital and investments have created a net of common interests and mutually beneficial relationships that span the globe, as multinational corporations and intercontinental alliances bind us together. Foreign and domestic policy have become two sides of the same coin.
Though much has already been said about 11 September, it has undeniably added a new dimension to international relations, ushering in an era in which the man on the street comes face to face with foreign policy. Is there anyone who has not yet heard of the 11 September attacks and their fall- out? Everyone has heard about them, from the man living in his hut in one of the jungles of Africa, to the tourist in Bali, the gambler in Las Vegas, and the factory worker in Europe. Information no longer escapes anyone, as the same news travels to the four corners of the earth simultaneously. How, then, can foreign and domestic policies not interact? Indeed, a real intellectual revolution has occurred, making foreign policy the independent variable with domestic policy growing out of it, rather than the other way around. Nations now implement reforms to bring their domestic affairs in line with the general global climate. It is a brave new world.
Given the complex relationship between the foreign and the domestic, the current Arab reality invites us to review our domestic affairs, to open up completely and initiate an ongoing dialogue with the other. We have carried the weight of burdens we do not deserve, and we are being asked to pay a bill for merchandise we did not receive and to settle accounts for crimes we neither committed nor endorsed. We must thoroughly re-examine all those domestic issues that reflect on our foreign policies, specifically democracy, human rights, minorities, the position of women, the protection of the environment and other contemporary issues.
Many of the accusations directed at Arab regimes -- and even the Arab mind itself -- are unjust and reflect profoundly hostile feelings towards our cultural heritage and perhaps even our religious practices as well. Yet, we cannot coordinate our foreign policies without distributing roles that reflect the relative advantages of each area, such that terms like "traitor" and "foreign agent" disappear from our dictionaries altogether. Only in this way can we mature politically and gain the vision and awareness that will enable us to occupy a position suited to our history and heritage. Only in this way will we be able to extricate ourselves from confrontations that are literally forced upon us and spare ourselves more problems.
International relations are inflamed and regional tensions are running high; we need to adhere to fundamental values and principles so that our rights are not forfeited. We need not grow accustomed to this era, in which the desire to dominate prevails, showing us that foreign policy is indeed a true reflection of domestic affairs. If we examine, for example, the current motivations for US policy, we find echoes of American history and see how the domestic reflects on the foreign. A large part of American foreign policy in the Middle East is linked to the interests of the Republican Party and the president's desire for another term in office. This helps explain why the administration is turning towards new political objectives, which, on the one hand, aim to weaken the will of nations and punish entire peoples for the crimes of their rulers and, on the other, to placate Israel.
Foreign policy is no longer only the purview of politicians, diplomats, and the military; it has become a public issue, one to which the average man on the street contributes and citizens in even the smallest countries follow closely. A new age has come, carrying with it a different spirit and an uneasy future.
* The writer is a veteran diplomat and chairman of Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : 20 - 26 February 2003 (Issue No. 626)
Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2003/626/op12.htm