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On Display at Arab Summit: Division and Declining Influence

(Christian Science Monitor) Taylor Luck - This year's Arab Summit on Wednesday served as a showcase of the lack of Arab leadership and the waning influence of the Arab League, officials and analysts say. With several states reeling after both the ouster of dictators and weakening of remaining autocrats, the League - like the Arab world itself - is divided, looking inward, and dominated by the Saudi rivalry with Iran. "The Arab League is a dead body being kept in the ICU out of hopes we can find a new remedy to revive the Arab regional order," says Oraib Rantawi, director of the Amman-based Al Quds Center for Political Studies. "The major decisions being taken about the region are not being taken by Arab strongmen anymore, they are being taken by Iran, Turkey, and Russia." "The Arab political system has failed to solve the crises and halt the collapse, as the trust of Arab citizens in the joint Arab institutions has eroded," Ayman Safadi, Jordanian foreign minister, warned Monday at a gathering of foreign ministers. Several initiatives launched by the League failed to curb the fighting in Syria, and Arab leaders cannot even agree on a stance toward Iran, where Oman, Iraq and Lebanon are pushing for cordial ties with Tehran.
2017-03-31 00:00:00
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