The Arab League should be disbanded--at least that is the opinion of the audience at last month’s session of the Doha Debates. The group voted for a motion to shut down the 60-year-old organization amid widespread criticism of its performance. The final vote was 60.5 percent in favor of disbanding the Arab League, with 39.5 percent against.

The debate took place in front of an audience comprised of more than 200 students and professionals from Arab and international backgrounds.

In a series of heated exchanges, speakers argued about events in Iraq, Sudan and Palestine, with many suggesting that the Arab League had failed to protect human rights, speak out against oppression and defend national sovereignty of its member states against foreign interferences.

Speaking in its defense, Azmi Bishara, an Arab-Israeli politician and member of the Israeli Knesset, acknowledged that the League was weak but said it still connected Arab states and was part of the Arab identity. “It is the only thing left that shows something has to do with Arab unity,” Bishara said. “We should not disband the League, but reform it to function better.”

Bishara was supported by Hesham Youssef, Chief of Cabinet for the Arab League’s Secretary General Amre Moussa, who acknowledged failures, but said, “You cannot blame the League for governments not reforming.”

He said that the 22 nation group had scored a number of economic successes and had spoken strongly about the events in Iraq and Sudan. He added that organizations such as the United Nations, European Union and African Union had their failures too.

“Even when EU state members have problems among themselves on the official level, their citizens can still move freely with no visas and no border restrictions like the ones Arab citizens suffer from by most of Arab states. It is seen at many Arab airports,” said one person from the audience. “The Arab states did not even reach the minimum level of what European countries achieved in this regard.”

Lebanese presidential candidate Chibli Mallat accused the League of becoming “inefficient, counter-productive, a sham and corrupt.” He said it enabled Arab Interior ministers to exchange information “in order to repress us better.” He added European and American citizens could travel among Arab states and live in Arab countries easier than Arab citizens in their own so-called one nation under the League.

“It is better for it [Arab League] to disband into sub-organizations that have more common things among their members like the Gulf Cooperation Council," said Shafeeq Ghabra, professor of political science and the founding president of the American University in Kuwait.

The Doha Debates series is sponsored by Qatar Foundation and hosted by Tim Sabestian, former anchor of BBC’s HARDtalk program. It is a forum for free speech on controversial issues in the Arab and Islamic worlds.

BBC World will broadcast this edition of the debates at these GMT times

Saturday, May 13 12:10 GMT (1:10 a.m. EST) and repeated at 19:10 GMT (1:10 p.m. EST)

Sunday, May 14 07:10 GMT (1:10 a.m. EST) and repeated at 17:10 GMT (11:10 p.m. EST)


For more information about the Doha Debates, please visit: www.thedohadebates.com

© Copyright World Internet News 2006-07

Top of Page