As long as the relocation is conducted within the confines of Western Jerusalem, Arabs should recognize it as a normal diplomatic action. Since the 1980 annexation of the territories occupied in 1967, Israel has maintained that Jerusalem is its eternal and undivided capital. From the perspective of much of the Arab world, this claim is provocative and vehemently rejected. In addition to its place at the core of the political aspirations of the Palestinians, East Jerusalem, in the recent nationalist past, was part of the Arab collective narrative of unity and purpose. “Jerusalem is Ours” by the iconic Lebanese…
Author: Hassan Mneimneh
The inevitable outcome in Aleppo shows how the Syrian revolution has been betrayed first and foremost by Islamism in all its expressions, particularly international jihadism. The amassed forces of the Syrian regime may have a hard time overrunning the last strongholds of the Syrian rebels in Aleppo, despite substantive material support provided by Russia, Iran, and Iranian proxies. Still, the raging battle of Aleppo signals a decisive shift in the Syrian crisis: the restoration of the regime to its former might may remain elusive, but the rebels no longer have a credible path to toppling Assad. Instead, the Syrian…
The immediate price of such actions may be the further alienation of an important component of Saudi Arabia: its Shiite population. Undoubtedly, Saudi Arabia faces a delicate situation. The United States has effectively abdicated its historical leadership role in the Middle East. Egypt and Turkey are too preoccupied with internal strife to assume regional responsibilities. Meanwhile, Iran has interpreted the recently concluded P5+1 agreement as a license for an unrestrained offensive in multiple locales. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is thus left virtually on its own and with the obligation to intervene, confront, and contain various threats at a heavy…
A real national commonwealth demands an authentic national narrative that recognizes the multiplicity of cultural, religious, and social foundations, but the courageous political leadership needed to embrace this inclusive approach has yet to emerge. Christianity began as a religion of the Levant. Christian holy sites still dot its landscape, and it was in one of its cities that the believers were first called Christians. Since ancient times, early Christian sects, Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, and more recently Evangelical communities have provided part of the foundation of the Near East’s social fabric. But unfortunately, this longstanding history provides no defense against the…
From Iraq to Lebanon, through Syria, with clear echoes into the Gulf, Yemen, and Egypt, the Arab political and cultural scene is witness to a new language of “Sunni grievances.” Such language may be viewed as a deliberate mobilization intended to further segregate its target societies along factional lines. It may, however, also be assessed to be the result of existing communitarian divisions that are exacerbated by provocations anterior to its emergence, and that had already exhausted the common narratives — whether based on nation-states or transcending them. Until this discourse has its dynamics of production and traction on society…
Two sharply opposed narratives are today in confrontation in the Arab world, notably in its Eastern flank. The first has deep historical roots, but suffers from severe attrition and depletion. The second, while newer in its expression, remains confused in its expression and replete with excess and affront to self and others. According to the first narrative, the Arab region has been subject to successive attempts to overtake its resources, fragment its territory, and deny empowerment to its peoples. The culprit for these nefarious acts is an alliance of inside and outside forces. The most common version of this narrative…
