QandO

March 18, 2004

Arab Reform
Posted by McQ

Speaking of the Arab media, wandering the net brought me across the english language daily "Gulf News" out of the United Arab Emarites and an article by Dr. Anwar M. Gargash entitled "Time to take the road to reform".

Reform in the Arab world is the hot topic currently. The Arab press is full of articles dealing with this contentious issue. This is not surprising, if we take into account the multitude of failures in the political, economic and social spheres. The catalogue of failures was exposed dramatically in various reports dealing with Arab development.

Again we see the admission of failure in various spheres in the past. So its no secret to the Arab community that there is a problem. Its there, its apparently evident and it seems they know its killing them. The big question though is how to handle this. Dr. Gargash is one of the reform minded.

Findings of these reports paint a bleak picture of a region that is ill equipped to deal with the present and future challenges. Furthermore, American pronouncements and initiatives concerning democratisation and other aspects of reform have put many of the Arab regimes on the defensive. Traditional allies and friends were suddenly being accused of various things.

The post-9/11 wake up call was, and remains, loud and uncomfortable. The reaction of some of these regimes was instant, and defensive. They sought to blur the issue by bundling Washington's initiative with the genuine need for reform. It will be truly unfortunate if the attempt to confuse the message and the messenger is successful.

Reform must be a priority, but many stagnant Arab regimes will try to avoid reforming by playing the American card in reverse. This was certainly the sentiment of the 170-plus Arab opinion makers who gathered at the Alexandria library recently. It was an important gathering of mostly private individuals seeking to activate the role of a dormant civil society.

Key point here. Defensive posture by Arab states when it comes to reform which includes the institution of democracy. Why? Because traditionally its anathema to their tribal culture. A tough nut to crack. Add to that the push by the US and the west to see these institutions implemented and you run into a natural resistance than kills any inertia that might be generated by reform.

Gargash says that Arabs shouldn't throw the baby out with the bathwater. While they may not like the US and the west telling them they should implement democratic institutions, the message is still valid. Those sorts of reforms are desparately needed. You can't break the hold of religious driven authoritarianism if there isn't a civil society with which to replace it and as Gargash says, presently civil society in Arab states is dormant.

The Arab world needs to critically examine its priorities, and only Arab societies can do this with credibility and sensitivity. Such a critical examination is long overdue and must not be avoided.

From the various discussions at Alexandria, it was clear that a liberal and secular agenda was gaining ground as the basis for future direction. Many present realise that only such an agenda is capable of implementing a vision that seeks to empower women, liberalise the economy and create a participatory and democratic society.

Profound words. "The Arab world needs to critically examine its priorities", because it is ONLY the Arab world that can a) implement new priorities and b) by so doing, extinguish the flame of terrorism.

If in fact Arab nations can 'empower women' in the face of Islamic clerics bound and determined to stop them, there will indeed be hope for a "participatory and democratic society". But its going to take time, and terrorism is here now.

Many other regions are moving forward at an accelerated pace and many parts of our world are being left behind, with a growing population of youth with little to look forward to.

On the other hand, it was clear at Alexandria that the wheel must not be re-invented, and that we must not use the oft-repeated excuse of our own tradition or unique conditions to circumvent the need for reform. Accepted universal norms must be our guidelines in this journey - a journey we must take for the sake of the future and to remain relevant in today's world.

And I agree 100% ... This journey is important not only to the Arabs but to the rest of the world as well, and as much as we're able, we should help the reformers accelerate the process within the bounds of reason. That should be a major plank in any foreign policy plan for the US or any western nation.

TrackBack