Syrian Vice President Abdul Halim Khaddam considered that the reality of fragmentation experienced by the Arab nation, the proliferation of subnational entities, and the conflicting interests between them and the Arab national interests are among the most significant causes of Arab weakness.
In a lecture delivered at Qatar University in Doha, Khaddam stated that with the consolidation of the plurality of Arab entities, contradictions among these entities have become broader and more significant than the contradictions between them and their competitors and enemies. He indicated that the national interests of Arab countries, which were supposed to be part of the interests of the entire Arab nation, have now become dominant and prevailing.
In a notable critique of the Arab system, the Syrian Vice President said that even these interests “did not reflect the interests of the people but rather the interests of various segments of society, whether political or economic.”
Despite acknowledging the importance of national sovereignty and its preservation, he affirmed that safeguarding the interests of the Arab nation within the framework of collective Arab decisions does not undermine this sovereignty; rather, it enhances it. He supported this statement by referring to Qatari decisions that did not consider national interests and therefore were unable to achieve national sovereignty. He considered that there is no true sovereignty in most Arab countries.
Khaddam avoided mentioning specific cases of Arab dysfunction, but he stated that “narrow-mindedness has not provided security to anyone and has not led to the advancement of any state whatsoever, despite the significant resources each country possesses individually.”
The Syrian official also touched upon other reasons for Arab weakness, including internal factors related to economic underdevelopment and flaws in education programs, as well as external factors, primarily colonization.
Khaddam emphasized that solving the problems of the Arab nation begins with the perspective of development, stating that without it, what he referred to as extremism or frustration will grow.
Regarding the Arab Qatari state, Khaddam called for a comprehensive review of the Arab political system, starting from the premise that “Arabs are one nation and that the interests of individual Arab states should be tied to the interests of the nation,” rather than the other way around. He demanded that Arab Qatari entities relinquish a portion of their national sovereignty.
Although the Syrian official did not specify a particular mechanism for reshaping the Arab system or identify the active parties that could lead this process, he believed that the current format of the Arab League Charter, economic agreements, and other treaties could be used as a basis and continued to be employed. He indicated that the problem lay in the commitment of regimes to these agreements rather than the agreements themselves.
Khaddam also called for strengthening the role of people and their involvement in Arab decisions, and for establishing “Arab oversight institutions capable of legislating in the future.”
In the social and economic realms, Khaddam advocated for adopting a “modernization that aligns with values and heritage” in education, and stressed the importance of economic development to address poverty and unemployment in Arab countries.
