The Arab League, formally, the League of Arab States, is a regional organization of Arab
countries in and around North Africa, the Horn of Africa, and Southwest Asia. It was
formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Kingdom of Egypt, Kingdom of Iraq,
Transjordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Syria. Yemen joined as a member on 5 May 1945. Currently,
the League has 22 members, although Syria's participation has been suspended since November
2011 as a consequence of government repression during the ongoing uprising and civil war.
The League's main goal is to "draw closer the relations between member States and co-ordinate
collaboration between them, to safeguard their independence and sovereignty, and to consider
in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries".
Through institutions such as the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization
and the Economic and Social Council of the Arab League's Council of Arab Economic Unity,
the Arab League facilitates political, economic, cultural, scientific and social programs designed
to promote the interests of the Arab world. It has served as a forum for the member states
to coordinate their policy positions, to deliberate on matters of common concern, to settle some
Arab disputes, and to limit conflicts such as the 1958 Lebanon crisis. The League has
served as a platform for the drafting and conclusion of many landmark documents promoting
economic integration. One example is the Joint Arab Economic Action Charter, which outlines
the principles for economic activities in the region.
Each member state has only one vote in the League Council, while decisions are binding
only for those states that have voted for them. The aims of the league in 1945 were
to strengthen and coordinate the political, cultural, economic, and social programs of
its members, and to mediate disputes among them or between them and third parties. Furthermore,
the signing of an agreement on Joint Defense and Economic Cooperation on 13 April 1950
committed the signatories to coordination of military defense measures. In the early
1970s, the Economic Council of the League of Arab States put forward a proposal to create
the Joint Arab Chambers of Commerce across the European states. This led, under the decree
of the League of Arab States no. K1175G, to the decision by the Arab governments to set
up the Arab British Chamber of Commerce which was mandated to: "promote, encourage and facilitate
bilateral trade" between the Arab world and its major trading partner, the United Kingdom.
The Arab League has also played a role in shaping school curricula, advancing the role
of women in the Arab societies, promoting child welfare, encouraging youth and sports
programs, preserving Arab cultural heritage, and fostering cultural exchanges between the
member states. Literacy campaigns have been launched, intellectual works reproduced, and
modern technical terminology is translated for the use within member states. The league
encourages measures against crime and drug abuse, and deals with labour issues — particularly
among the emigrant Arab workforce.
History
Following adoption of the Alexandria Protocol in 1944, the Arab League was founded on 22
March 1945. It aimed to be a regional organisation of Arab states with a focus to developing
the economy, resolving disputes, and coordinating political aims. Other countries joined the
league at later dates. Each country was given one vote in the council. The first major action
was the joint intervention, allegedly on behalf of the majority Arab population that was being
uprooted as the State of Israel emerged in 1948, although in fact a main participant
in this intervention, Transjordan, had agreed with the Israelis to divide up the Arab Palestinian
state proposed by the UN General Assembly, while Egypt intervened primarily to prevent
its rival in Amman from accomplishing its objective. This was followed by the creation
of a mutual defense treaty two years later. A common market was established in 1965.
Geography
The area of members of the Arab League covers over 13,000,000 km2 and straddles two continents:
Africa and Asia. The area consists of large arid deserts, namely the Sahara. Nevertheless,
it also contains several very fertile lands, such as the Nile Valley, the Jubba and Shebelle
valley of Somalia, the High Atlas Mountains, and the Fertile Crescent which stretches over
Mesopotamia and the Levant. The area comprises deep forests in southern Arabia, as well as
parts of the world's longest river, the Nile. Member states
Starting with only six members in 1945, the Arab League today occupies an area spanning
around 14 million km² and counts 22 members, and 4 observer states. The 22 members today
include 3 of the largest African countries, and the largest country in the Middle East.
There was a continual increase in membership during the second half of the 20th century,
with an additional 15 Arab states being admitted. At present, there are a total of 21 member
states due to Syria's suspension following the 2011 uprising. The Arab League member
states are as follows:
and 3 observer states:
On 22 February 2011, following the start of the Libyan civil war and the use of military
force against civilians, the Arab League Secretary-General, Amr Moussa, stated that Libya's membership
in the Arab League had been suspended: "the organisation has decided to halt the participation
of the Libyan delegations from all Arab League sessions". This makes Libya the second country
in the League's history to have a frozen membership. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi declared that
the League was illegitimate, saying: "The Arab League is finished. There is no such
thing as the Arab League." On 25 August 2011, Secretary-General Nabil Elaraby announced
it was "about time" Libya's full member status was restored. The National Transitional Council,
the partially recognised interim government of Libya, will send a representative to be
seated at the Arab League meeting on 17 August to participate in a discussion as to whether
to readmit Libya to the organisation. The Arab Parliament recommended the suspension
of member states Syria and Yemen on 20 September 2011, over persistent reports of disproportionate
violence against regime opponents and activists during the Arab Spring. A vote on 12 November
agreed to formally suspend Syria four days after the vote, giving Assad a last chance
to avoid suspension. Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen voted against the motion, while Iraq abstained.
A wave of criticism rose as the Arab League sent in December 2011 a commission "monitoring"
violence on people protesting against the regime. The commission was headed by Mohammad
Ahmed Mustafa al-Dabi, who served as head of Omar al-Bashir's military intelligence,
while war crimes including genocide were allegedly committed on his watch. On 6 March 2013, the
Arab League granted the Syrian National Coalition Syria's seat in the Arab League. On 9 March
2014, pan-Arab group's secretary general Nabil al-Arabi said that Syria's seat at the Arab
League will remain vacant until the opposition completes the formation of its institutions.
Politics and administration
The Arab League is a political organization which tries to help integrate its members
economically, and solve conflicts involving member states without asking for foreign assistance.
It possesses elements of a state representative parliament while foreign affairs are often
dealt with under UN supervision. The Charter of the Arab League endorsed the
principle of an Arab homeland while respecting the sovereignty of the individual member states.
The internal regulations of the Council of the League and the committees were agreed
in October 1951. Those of the Secretariat-General were agreed in May 1953.
Since then, governance of the Arab League has been based on the duality of supra-national
institutions and the sovereignty of the member states. Preservation of individual statehood
derived its strengths from the natural preference of ruling elites to maintain their power and
independence in decision making. Moreover, the fear of the richer that the poorer may
share their wealth in the name of Arab nationalism, the feuds among Arab rulers, and the influence
of external powers that might oppose Arab unity can be seen as obstacles towards a deeper
integration of the league. Mindful of their previous announcements in
support of the Arabs of Palestine the framers of the Pact were determined to include them
within the League from its inauguration. This was done by means of an annex that declared:
At the Cairo Summit of 1964, the Arab League initiated the creation of an organisation
representing the Palestinian people. The first Palestinian National Council convened in East
Jerusalem on 29 May 1964. The Palestinian Liberation Organization was founded during
this meeting on 2 June 1964. Palestine was shortly admitted in to the Arab League, represented
by the PLO. Today, State of Palestine is a full member of the Arab League.
At the Beirut Summit on 28 March 2002, the league adopted the Arab Peace Initiative,
a Saudi-inspired peace plan for the Arab–Israeli conflict. The initiative offered full normalization
of the relations with Israel. In exchange, Israel was required to withdraw from all occupied
territories, including the Golan Heights, to recognize Palestinian independence in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as well as a "just solution"
for the Palestinian refugees. The Peace Initiative was again endorsed at 2007 in the Riyadh Summit.
In July 2007, the Arab League sent a mission, consisting of the Jordanian and Egyptian foreign
ministers, to Israel to promote the initiative. Following Venezuela's move to expel Israeli
diplomats amid the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict, Kuwaiti member of parliament Waleed
al-Tabtabai proposed moving Arab League headquarters to Caracas, Venezuela. On 13 June 2010, Amr
Mohammed Moussa, Secretary-General of the Arab League, visited the Gaza Strip, the first
visit by an official of the Arab League since Hamas' armed takeover in 2007.
Foreign relations
The Arab League is filled with critical crises and conflicts, from the Iraq in the East to
Ceuta in the West. Many superpowers have several interests in this vast rich region. China,
Europe and the USA are seeking to expand their influence over the oil rich countries. The
EU is trying to stop illegal immigration to its lands by poorer African Citizens passing
from Arab States such as Libya, Morocco and Tunisia. The U.S. fears for one of its greatest
allies, Israel, from neighbouring Arab States that do not support its existence, while also
fears on the Iranian influence in the oil rich Persian Gulf. Russia with its strong
diplomatic relations with Arab States from the Soviet Era, is trying to regain its strength
by supporting their causes, especially in the Security Council. China has also started
to take interest in the oil rich reserves that will help increase its economic growth.
Meanwhile, other countries have large interests in the region. Turkey has faced tensions several
times with its neighbouring Arab countries, Syria and Iraq over the Tigris and Euphrates
rivers, when it built dams blocking their flow into the two states. Iran is trying to
strengthen its Shia and Islamic influence by supporting rebellion and liberation movements
against Israel, and U.S. led coalition forces in Iraq, while Spain and Morocco have increasing
tensions over the Melilla and Ceuta dispute. Summits
Military
The Arab League as an Organization has no military Force, like the UN or EU, but at
the 2007 summit, the Leaders decided to reactivate their joint defense and establish a peacekeeping
force to deploy in South Lebanon, Darfur, Iraq, and other hot spots.
Emergency summits
Economic resources
The Arab League is rich in resources, with enormous oil and natural gas resources in
certain member states. Another industry that is growing steadily in the Arab League is
telecommunications. Within less than a decade, local companies such as Orascom and Etisalat
have managed to compete internationally. Economic achievements initiated by the League
amongst member states have been less impressive than those achieved by smaller Arab organisations
such as the Gulf Cooperation Council. Among them is the Arab Gas Pipeline, that will transport
Egyptian and Iraqi gas to Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey. As of 2013, a significant difference
in economic conditions exist between the developed oil states of Algeria, Qatar, Kuwait and the
UAE, and developing countries like Comoros, Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The Arab League is rich in resources, with enormous Oil and Natural Gas resources, it
also has great fertile lands in South of the Sudan, usually referred to as the food basket
of the Arab World, the region's instability has not affected its tourism industry, that
is considered the fastest growing industry in the region, with Egypt, UAE, Lebanon, Tunisia
and Jordan Leading the way. Another industry that is growing steadily in the Arab League
is Telecommunications, within less than a decade, Local companies have managed to compete
internationally, such as Orascom and Etisalat. Economical achievements within members have
been low in the league's history, other smaller Arab Organizations have achieved more than
the league has, such as the GCC, but lately several major economic projects that are promising
are to be completed, the Arab Gas Pipeline is to end by the year 2010, Connecting Egyptian
and Iraqi Gas to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, and then to Turkey thus Europe, a free trade
Agreement is to be completed by 1 January 2008, making 95% of all Arab Products tax
free of customs. Transportation
The Arab League is divided into five parts when it comes to transportation, with the
Arabian Peninsula and the Near East being entirely connected by air, sea, highways and
railway. Another part of the League is the Nile Valley, made up of Egypt and Sudan. These
two member states have started to improve the Nile river's navigation system to improve
accessibility and thus foster trading. A new railway system is also set to connect the
southern Egyptian city of Abu Simbel with the northern Sudanese city of Wadi Halfa,
and then to Khartoum and the Port of Sudan. The third division of the League is the Maghreb,
where a 3000 km stretch of railway runs from the southern cities of Morocco to Tripoli
in Western Libya. The fourth division of the League is the Horn of Africa, whose member
states include Djibouti and Somalia. These two Arab League states are separated by only
ten nautical miles from the Arabian Peninsula by the Bab el Mandeb, and this is quickly
changing as Tarik bin Laden, the brother of Osama bin Laden, has initiated the construction
of the ambitious Bridge of Horns project, which ultimately aims to connect the Horn
of Africa with the Arabian Peninsula via a massive bridge. The project is intended to
facilitate and accelerate the already centuries-old trade and commerce between the two regions.
The last division of the League is the isolated island of Comoros, which is not physically
connected to any other Arab state, but still trades with other League members.
Literacy in Arab league countries
In collecting literacy data, many countries estimate the number of literate people based
on self-reported data. Some use educational attainment data as a proxy, but measures of
school attendance or grade completion may differ. Because definitions and data collection
methods vary across countries, literacy estimates should be used with caution. United Nations
Development Programme, Human Development Report 2010.
Demographics of Arab League countries
The Arab League is a culturally and ethnically one association of 22 member states, with
the overwhelming majority of the League's population identified as Arab. As of July
1, 2013, about 359,000,000 people live in the states of the Arab League. Its population
grows faster than in most other global regions. The most populous member state is Egypt, with
a population of about 91 million. The least populated is the Comoros, with over 0.6 million
inhabitants. Religion
The vast majority of the Arab League's citizens adhere to Islam, with Christianity being the
second largest religion. Over 15 million Christians combined live in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon,
Palestine, Sudan and Syria. In addition, there are smaller but significant numbers of Druze,
Yezidis, Shabaks and Mandaeans. Linguistics
The Official Language of the Arab League is the Fus'ha Arabic, of Classic Arabic, but
within the League members there are several official and non-official languages spoken,
such as Kurdish, Assyrian, Nubian, Armenian, Tamazigh and several others, there are also
different Arabic dialects, like the Masri and the Levantine Arabic.
Culture Sports
The pan Arab Games, are considered the Biggest Arab Sport Event, another Arab Tournament
was made by the ART to sponsor Arab Champions League, between Arab Clubs, and is a success,
so far. other Competitions include the Arab Basketball Federation with annual competitions,
Sport Federations also exist for 43 games, include the Volley, Handball, Table Tennis,
Tennis, Squash and Swimming. Most of these Federations and their competitions
are sponsored by the Arab League. See also
References
External links http:qatarconferences.orgarabic/
(Arabic) The League of Arab States. The League of Arab States at Al-Bab.com.
Arab Turk Conference and Expo at Bursa. The Arab League at Council on Foreign Relations.
Profile: Arab League, BBC News, updated 9 August 2011.
Arab League at Jewish Virtual Library. Arab League at WorldStatesmen.org.
Arab League collected news and commentary at Bloomberg News
Arab League collected news and commentary at The Jerusalem Post
Arab League collected news and commentary at The New York Times