Throughout modern history, national transformations have led to the emergence of new concepts and priorities in the global system. The Arab world, however, has not kept up with these. In fact, in the last five years, it has witnessed something not seen in the past.
In a historic moment, the people rose up in response to internal challenges such as tyranny, corruption and poverty. However, they did not necessarily agree on a unified definition of what happened in 2011; it does not really matter since we know that these uprisings established a historical sample that cannot be overlooked.
These revolutions and the resulting chaos and conflicts are still raging in some countries to this day and this sparks bitter questions: When will the situation be stabilized and when will change be achieved?
Revolutions definitely produce shifts but that does not necessarily equal an achievement. Therefore, in order to exit this phase, we need to absorb the meaning of the experience and rely on people’s awareness, though much of what we have witnessed has been negative phenomena. Perhaps the most prominent is the Tunisian experience; it is proof of the transformation.
It is fair to say that after the departure of colonial powers from some Arab states, nation states were established with slogans linked to land, freedom and independence. Soon, however, they returned to the practice of repression with the coming of military regimes. We managed to get rid of colonialism but then we fell for it again in different forms.
The most notable challenge faced by nation states in the Arab world is the lack of or delay in initiating internal reforms. Overcoming these obstacles is possible only through strong political will — a determination to achieve change, especially in the absence of constitutional institutions. In addition to that our region needs to understand the concept of citizenship, which calls for rising above differences.
Since the beginning of the Renaissance, there has been a long and arduous journey of cognitive and critical research with major philosophers like John Locke and Jean Jacques Rousseau, reaching the conclusion that social tolerance is the first and only choice in the search for value in life.
Transformations in the region have shown that we, as Arabs, are still living in a spiral of conflict and disagreements. These conditions within the political map of the Arab world are bound to push us to further fragmentation, which we have started to observe in Sudan, Iraq, Libya and Syria. All of these as political cases illustrate the inability of their systems to establish the basic components of a united and productive state.
The growing concern revolves around any problem that might hinder progress in Arab societies. There cannot be political stability in the face of the sectarian conflict that has spread in the Arab world. There are dangerous signs of ethnic and sectarian divisions that will surely impair democratization.
Historically, we find Copts in Egypt, Sunni Kurds in Syria, Sunni-Shiite tensions in Iraq and Lebanon, sectarian tribal conflicts in Yemen, Islamists’ disagreements with other forces in Libya, Tunisia and Egypt. We have not even mentioned Kurdistan, which demands self-determination for itself in Iraq and the Western Desert. Even though Somalia is in a very important geostrategic location, it has been dealing with conflict for over two decades and is now threatened with division. The question here is: What led things to become this bad?
There are two main reasons behind these problems: Inadequate socioeconomic development and the inability of leaderships in strengthening the concept of citizenship. Growing population is yet another issue. The population of the Arab world is now about 350 million; it is expected to exceed 500 million by 2050, which means a great deal of pressure on the resources. It is ticking time bomb and it is to be expected that people will protest when their demands are not met. Job opportunities should be created and standards of living should be improved. This problem will not go away since two-third of the current Arab population is under the age of 30.
The Arab world may continue with limited economic growth, but the indications are that its unemployment rate will remain the highest in the world. Whoever contemplates the political scene sees at once that there is a major movement in the region that has used its vigor to intervene and disrupt the political process in some countries.
Led by Tehran, Damascus, Hezbollah and the Houthis, this axis is trying to expand the scope of the conflict and to involve other countries in it. Apparently things cannot improve due to the complexities of their own internal situations on the one hand, and the return of radical interventions on the other.
There is no Arab plan to deal with this complex situation. Of course, external influence will not go unnoticed. Surprisingly, there are some who justify repeated failures by blaming others and calling them traitors and agents of foreign powers. It is high time that we stopped blaming others and introduced reforms in all spheres of life. We should devise a comprehensive strategy to face the current challenges.
Reformation process needs coordinated mechanisms and a timetable. This does not mean that the project should move one step forward and two steps back. To achieve this feat, religious, political and cultural elements need to be on the same page.
Arabs need the political will to believe in the process of reformation and openness to others. They should take the responsibility of admitting their mistakes.
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The writer is a member of the Shoura Council.
