Saturday, February 12, 2011

The resurrection of pan-Arabism !!

The Egyptian revolution has resurrected a new type of pan-Arabism, based on social justice not empty slogans.
Lamis Andoni
The Egyptian revolution has resurrected pan-Arabism but this is not the pan-Arabism of previous generations
The Egyptian revolution, itself influenced by the Tunisian uprising, has resurrected a new sense of pan-Arabism based on the struggle for social justice and freedom. The overwhelming support for the Egyptian revolutionaries across the Arab world reflects a sense of unity in the rejection of tyrannical, or at least authoritarian, leaders, corruption and the rule of a small financial and political elite.

Arab protests in solidarity with the Egyptian people also suggest that there is a strong yearning for the revival of Egypt as a pan-Arab unifier and leader. Photographs of Gamal Abdel Nasser, the former Egyptian president, have been raised in Cairo and across Arab capitals by people who were not even alive when Nasser died in 1970. The scenes are reminiscent of those that swept Arab streets in the 1950s and 1960s.
Read more
Posted by at

2 comments:

  1. joeFebruary 12, 2011 at 3:27 PM

    How do all those emirtes and kingdoms set up fit into the Pan-Arabist vision? I always had the impression that the British drew the map of the Mideast in such a way that the masses didn't live in the same countries where most of the oil is(plus a humanitarian homeland for "the Jews" right in the middle of everything). How do you redraw the map of the Mideast in such a way that reflects the actual population without starting a bunch of wars-with the US of course stepping in with tons of weapons to protect the national rights of the Saud family, Dubai and other emirates-and of course, America's "erstwhile little ally".

    ReplyDelete
  2. thankgodimatheistFebruary 12, 2011 at 4:59 PM

    <span>Joe.. Pan Arabism as dreamed and hoped by Nasser, of a one state may not be the most realistic or even desirable goal at this stage if ever. But more like a federation of states that can start as modelled on the European Union, economically first than moving upwards on the scale of unity. This of course would meet huge hurdles set up by the imperial, colonialist powers but also by the people(s) themselves who've been persuaded of their dissimilitudes over the years.. It's a long term objective worth working towards and just because it's kind of unrealistic doesn't mean that the dream of unity itself based on whatever is common  and shared between Arabs cannot be reinjected in their psyche again.</span>

    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)