To Whom It May Concern,
Egypt, according to multiple sources including the BBC, is going to hold the Arab Summit on Tuesday. Five Arab nations such as the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan, Bahrain and Iraq, the only country among the participants that does not recognize Israel, are going to participate in the summit. Notably, the Arab summit is irregularly held by different Arab speaking countries which discusses a range of issues in the Middle East. According to multiple sources, the leaders participating in the summit are likely to discuss the profound changes and challenges the region is undergoing in political and other terms including Ethiopia’s dispute with Egypt and Sudan over Ethiopia’s Renaissance Dam on the Nile, the conflicts in Yemen, Syria and Libya and the latest developments in the Israel-Palestine conflicts.
No doubt, the Middle East is undergoing changes and facing a range of challenges including wars, civil wars and geopolitical challenges. The Israel-Palestine crisis which often leads to conflicts between Palestinians and Israeli forces is one of the major problems in the Middle East. Besides, the conflicts in Yemen, Libya and Syria are also very significant. But it is also undeniable that there is a considerable division in the Middle East that makes it more vulnerable to conflicts and less capable of reaching solutions to conflicts. Indeed, Arab countries have failed so far to reach meaningful cooperation needed for reaching solutions to conflicts including civil wars in the Middle East, despite there are several organizations including the Arab League. Though it is a small scale summit and is not participated by important parties including Saudi Arabia, it can still play roles in making some changes in the development of strategic direction.
It is desired that Arab leaders put emphasis on increased regional cooperation that can help to mitigate disputes among Arab nations. Indeed, Arab countries need to develop effective means of cooperation and the capacity to mitigate disputes among Arab nations. But Arab countries differ in their viewpoints on regional security issues and have a lack of trust among themselves which make it difficult to generate meaningful cooperation. No doubt, geopolitical issues are important for all countries especially for their national interests but, regarding peace in the Arab world, it is further desired that Arab countries make efforts to develop ways to deal with conflicts and security problems in a more effective manner.
Amir M Sayem
Chief Editor
Dhaka Opinion Magazine
