Politicians, experts paint stark picture of Arab world’s strategic vacuum

ASSILAH - Arab politicians painted a stark picture about the Arab world’s geopolitical future and unity in a new world order unilaterally led by the United States which is drawing a new Middle East tailored for its own interests in the region.

The Assilah Forum invited politicians from the Middle East and North Africa to debate the geopolitical factors that hamper the Arab world’s unity and progress and offer solutions and recommendations in a symposium titled “Arabs today and the burdens of the strategic vacuum.”

Sameera bint Ibrahim Rajab, Special Envoy at Bahrain’s Royal Court, highlighted the main political events that help plunge the Arab region into several political crises beginning with the Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories until its “brutal” war on the Gaza Strip.

“The US worked to establish new colonial plans and interests in the Middle East and the Arab region in general, which effectively turned into an arena of geopolitical conflict and has become an object both geopolitically and geostrategically for many years, with Arabs not seeking to play any significant strategic role to contribute to protecting Arab national security,” said Rajab.

She said that the first disastrous agenda that was achieved in line with ending Egypt’s central role after signing the peace agreements with Israel was the gradual elimination of the Iraqi role, which was considered a fortress or impenetrable dam against the expansion of international projects and a major dam against the expansion of the regional ambitions of neighbouring countries.

“The security and military vacuum in the region was the most disastrous result of the fall of Iraq after the American invasion and occupation in 2003,” she said.

The Bahraini politician emphasised that the most disastrous result for the region in general and for Arab regional security, in particular from the removal of Iraq as an Arab economic, cultural and political power from the Arab national security equation is the gradual collapse of the official Arab system, allowing the US to expand and play a major role in managing geopolitical conflicts in the Arab region and guaranteeing its Middle Eastern influence in the international system in addition to enabling regional powers such as Iran, Turkey, and Israel.

Rajab evoked an important point “terrorism” which has taken its toll on many Arab countries in the last two decades.

“I hope we do not forget that terrorism into which Arabs were plunged was the first thing that began to emerge amid a vacuum in the region after the US occupation of Iraq, beginning the era of chaos, destruction, security and economic instability, the loss of a number of Arab countries of parts of their lands and the emergence of failed Arab states with the spread of armed terrorist groups leading to confrontations that resulted in an organized depletion of Arab armies,” she said.

Mohamed Auajjar, former Moroccan justice minister, said he doesn’t believe in the existence of a regional Arab system while Algeria, Morocco’s neighbour, is doing all it can to destroy his country.

“We need to pin our hopes on a new Arab generation,” said Auajjar.

“Our experiences throughout the last 60 years bring us to the bitter recognition that these considerations are not enough because the regional Arab system is a regional system of tyranny, sole rule and trampling freedoms and rights,” he lamented.

The Moroccan politician called for the need to admit “our collective failure” in engaging people in the democratic process.

“We failed in the system of values which bring us together… what is the system of values that brings us together while most of our states don’t believe in democracy and good neighbourliness?,” he asked.

Auajjar questioned the lack of a strong and united Arab response to Israel’s deadly and merciless bombardments of the besieged Gaza which killed at least 3,400 Palestinians since October 7 following Hamas’ surprising attack on the Jewish state.

He concluded that a national state in the Arab region cannot be built without respecting the constitution, human rights and elections through transparent ballots.

Abderrahman Chalgham, former Libyan foreign minister, said the word “Arab” is an emotional meaning which was conceived in an era where Arabs were never one state even during the Abbasid and Umayyad eras.

He cited the example of the Maghreb Arab Union which has failed to bear its fruits in comparison with the European Union which has succeeded in its integration strategy despite a past full of bloody wars.

“We (Arabs) don’t trust each other. In reality, we conspire against each other,” said Chlagham. “There is no Arab union! There is good neighbourliness.”

“Why did Arab states where putsches took place collapsed while other states led by kings and emirs are developing economically and culturally?,” he asked.

The Libyan politician said the focus should not be on an Arab union, but on a good neighbourliness and cooperation as well as the development of science, education and technology along with the infrastructure.

He concluded that Morocco was an inspiring example because it has improved its infrastructure and universities and has a strong car manufacturing industry.

Abdelkrim Benatiq, former Moroccan Minister Delegate to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, in charge of Moroccans living abroad and Migration Affairs, said that many Arab countries are struggling to secure food for their populations, citing the example of Egypt which is one of the world’s biggest importers of grains.

“Our region is unfortunately living several food crises,” said Benatiq.

“Those who cannot manage to achieve a food security will not be able to secure a future,” he added.

Benatiq warned against the dangerous policy of subsidising food in the Arab region which poses a great danger to the economy if it becomes a strategic policy.

“We lived and are still living the setback of the Arab Spring as the West considers that the democratic development is virtually impossible in our Arab world,” he said.

Rajab said that, despite the bleak picture that we observe within the current state of the Arab regional system, she believes that there are new developments that can support the prospects for reform and contribute to the recovery of that system, even partially, citing some external factors because the internal situation” is almost hopeless.”

Among the external factors is: firstly, the international situation resulting from Russia-Ukraine war and the failure of Western policies on all their fronts.

Secondly, there are signs of the emergence of a new multipolar world order, in which the Eastern powers - not the Western ones - may have the largest role.

Thirdly, the brutal war on Gaza that aims to expand the implementation of the map of the new Middle East, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced.

“It is a war that seems to have begun prematurely, and before the death of the American international system and the rise of the new international order that would shape international policies, relations, and economies,” concluded Rajab.

Benatiq said that reforming the system was possible with the consideration of the advent of a new generation that can deal with the past without any complex unlike previous generations and a strategic conflict between the big players in need of a strong, cohesive Arab world that is capable of negotiating.