If there is one thing that has defined the Arabs over the centuries it is an uncommon stubbornness and unwillingness to relent, against all odds. This quality, unchanging as it is, has steered us to moments of unprecedented greatness, as it has led us to periods of protracted darkness. Today this stubbornness is again showing signs of great hope. As we return from our travels across many continents, it is time for us to think how we can restructure not only ourselves but also the world.
The Middle East is said to be the cradle of civilization. It is certainly the origin of many of its greatest achievements. From three of the Seven Wonders of the World, to the monotheistic religions which now span the globe, to the Islamic civilization which inspired the development of science and knowledge across the world, the Middle East has advanced humanity more than almost any other region.
All the while, the Arabs have displayed great stubbornness in resisting change from outside. Through centuries of rule by foreigners, including Mamluks, Turks and Western colonial powers, the Arabs have held onto their language and their traditions. Often stubbornness, unlike flexibility, results in the denial of knowledge, but there are situations where it pays to hold onto one’s roots.
In the West real change has often taken place only through revolution. The French Revolution, the American Civil War and the permanent Communist revolution claimed a great many deaths. The Arab Renaissance and Revolt of the early 20th century was far less deadly but it offered a lot less. Yet its spirit remains and it appears to be fulfilling some of its promises today.
In a region which has long fallen prey to outside forces and influences, change is either lightning-fast or takes decades to surface. In this case the promises of an Arab Renaissance have been preserved by a stubborn character and, against all odds, are re-emerging today.
The only modern guiding principles developed by Arabs were an undefined Arab nationalism and unity, informed by the past and directed against colonialism. Drawing on socialism and defined in great confusion Baathism was the only attempt at unifying this into an ideology. Not surprisingly, it failed miserably. But as we face the occupation of Palestine and Iraq today we are finally becoming reflective and innovative, while drawing on the qualities of our stubborn character.
At a time when a fossilizing democracy in the West is in a fix, the uniquely Arab character represents a new kind of hope in its development of distinctive institutions of participatory government. Western governments’ crises of legitimacy are deepening, as the Western public becomes ever more suspicious, rather than supportive, of its leaders. The recent British election showed us that only 36 percent of voters are truly represented by the newly elected Labour government. In the United States approximately 30 percent of those eligible to vote voted for the present administration.
But in the Middle East profound changes are under way. Reinvented American calls for democratization have hit on social and political changes that were already in progress. While change is never rapid enough for some, to most observers the change that has already taken place in the Arab world is astonishing. Already, the all-powerful image of rulers of the Middle East has given way to a public opinion that now defines the Arab future. Importantly, this change has taken place through the synergy of discussion and peaceful change. To me it proves the words of a knowledgeable friend of mine: “Once someone does something it becomes irreversible.” It is enough for just a small group to challenge conventions and traditions for change to take hold across the board. Today, rulers and ruled are talking to each other and, as we saw in Lebanon, people are forcing change through their own actions and presence.
So the stubborn Arabs, proud of their traditions, are today being given the chance to develop a new political identity and their own form of participatory government. With a crisis of legitimacy and a lack of innovative thinking in the West, it is time for the Arabs to show their historic ability to lead the world in innovative thought. Who knows, we may yet ignite and invent new codes for a participatory government that is failing today in the West.
— Hassan Yassin is former head of The Saudi Information Office in Washington D.C.
