(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Speakers at the 11th Al Jazeera Forum. The Peninsula
Speakers at the 11th Al Jazeera Forum brought together ideas from different parts of the Arab region showcasing their rich knowledge of regional history. The forum under the title 'State Crisis and the Future of the Middle East concluded here on Sunday.
Youssef Choueiri, a professor of history at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, said in the first session that Arab states have been destroyed time and again giving the examples of Egypt and Sudan, which were destroyed by internal and external forces. The Arab state, according to Choueiri, has become a surplus state for the international community in the aftermath of the Arab Spring. 'The Arab world has lost its identity, its moral compass.
Raising alarm, he also said, 'We are delving into an era whereby Rome might come again and destroy the civilisation that was established by our ummah.
As the discussion moved on to Sadiq Al Mahdi, the former prime minister of Sudan and head of the National Umma Party, who pointed out that 'the idea of nation state is modern and still feeble in the Arab world as it relies on succession. In such cases, coup d'etat is relevant, giving militants an upper hand.
Al Mahdi outlined that "Turkey, Iran and Israel, are expanding and we need to have common stance on this expansion. We need to follow a strategy in order to compel Israel to understand our interests. We cannot have a united Arab world unless we reconcile.
Al Mahdi commented that nationalists calling for Arab unity have failed and those trying to implement the caliphate have also failed. 'For half a century, the Arab state was busy establishing ‘homelands' such as Morocco, Algeria, Syria and so on and this paved the way for a new framework for states, which eventually led to a number of crises, said Mohamed Jabroun a professor of history and researcher at the Regional Centre for Education in Tangier.
Mohamed Mahsoub, the former Egyptian Minister for Legal Affairs and member of the Parliamentary Council, was asked to comment on the reasons behind the so-called failure of the Arab Spring. He pointed out that 'The Arab world cannot press ahead without understanding international order, and by failing to do so, it turned into a hotspot of crisis as the entire region speaks one language, shares similar culture, and its societies are coherent.
He also underlined that nation states work on the model of learning from mistakes but that in this region, some people preferred the idea of foreign intervention rather than accepting mistakes of the government or living under oppression.
Qatar's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs H E Ahmed bin Abdullah bin Zaid Al Mahmoud gave the first keynote speech focused on Qatar's role in the Darfur peace agreement and the lessons the Arab world can learn from it in order to bring peace in the region.
On the second of the forum, panelists explored the theme, 'A Hundred Years after the Balfour Declaration: What does the existence of Israel mean for the region?
Director of the Centre for Modern Oriental Studies at the Sorbonne University Burhan Ghalioun explored the reasons behind the failure of nation states from transitioning from the lack of self-determination and slavery into freedom, peace, political participation to becoming a burden, catastrophe, and a source of corruption and religious problems by turning into a tool for oppression and segregation of people.
Ghalioun underlined that Arab states were worse for their people post-colonisation than colonial rule because the states depend on superpowers to find legitimacy and salvage their own powers, hence turning the dream of nation state into a tool for slavery.
Following on, Amani Senwar, who is a researcher in human rights and international relations, boldly stated that the West is keeping the Arab world under an illusion of a two-state solution while backing Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people.
Mostefa Souag, Acting Director General of Al Jazeera Media Network, delivered a speech at the forum's gala dinner where he referred to the "notorious crime" committed by French colonialism on May 8, 1945 in which 45,000 people were killed in response to mass demonstrations staged by the Algerians as the Europeans celebrated the end of World War II. Dr Souag expressed surprise at some people who feel that they suffered more under the modern national state than they did under colonisation.
Sheikh Hamad bin Thamer Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Al Jazeera Media Network, said in his opening speech: 'The issues we propose for discussion in this forum are of paramount importance, and their international implications are plain for all to see.
'Since its inception, Al Jazeera Forum has served as an annual platform for deep and constructive dialogue where political leaders, intellectuals, and activists exchange ideas and visions on the various current issues and discuss their causes and implications, he added.
Riyad Hijab, former Prime Minister of Syria and General Coordinator of the Opposition Higher Negotiations Committee, delivered the second keynote speech saying that post-colonial Arab states introduced themselves as nationalist systems of governance despite the fact that they were built on the basis of colonial agendas, adding that 'Syrian nationalist parties, from day one, encountered several difficulties in dealing with the internal and regional situation. These nationalist projects, 'posed a threat to the agendas of some regional power which 'involved in the internal affairs of Syria.
Consequently, the 'Syrian opposition and revolutionaries are now confronted with a Persian Iranian power that provides massive and complete support for the Assad regime."
He added that the Syrian regime, 'has not learned from the lessons of the past and relied on religious and ethnic minorities to deepen its roots and strengthen its rule. In his opinion, the greatest challenge facing the Syrian opposition at the moment is 'removing this sectarian regime and confronting Iran's expansionist project in the region.
He pointed out that it has become obvious that survival of the regime under Bashar Al Assad is no longer possible in light of the new facts on the ground.
MENAFN1704201700630000ID1095400679
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.