Arab League
Template:Short description Template:About Template:Pp-move Template:Pp-extended Template:Use dmy dates Template:Use British English Template:Infobox geopolitical organisation Template:Life in the Arab League
The Arab League (Template:Langx, Template:Transliteration Template:IPA), officially the League of Arab States (Template:Langx, Template:Transliteration), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and North Yemen.<ref>Template:Cite encyclopedia</ref> Currently, the League has 22 members.
The League's main goal is to "draw closer the relations between member states and co-ordinate collaboration between them, to safeguard their independence and sovereignty, and to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries".<ref name="yale">Template:Cite web</ref> The organization has received a relatively low level of cooperation throughout its history.<ref name=":0">Template:Citation</ref>
Through institutions, notably the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and the Economic and Social Council of its Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU), the League facilitates political, economic, cultural, scientific, and social programmes designed to promote the interests of the Arab world.<ref>Ashish K. Vaidya, Globalization (ABC-CLIO: 2006), p. 525.</ref> It has served as a forum for the member states to coordinate policy, arrange studies of and committees as to matters of common concern, settle inter-state disputes and limit conflicts such as the 1958 Lebanon crisis. The League has served as a platform for the drafting and conclusion of many landmark documents promoting economic integration. One example is the Joint Arab Economic Action Charter, which outlines the principles for economic activities in the region.
Each member state has one vote in the Council of the Arab League, and decisions are binding only for those states that have voted for them. The aims of the league in 1945 were to strengthen and coordinate the political, cultural, economic and social programs of its members and to mediate disputes among them or between them and third parties. Furthermore, the signing of an agreement on Joint Defence and Economic Cooperation on 13 April 1950 committed the signatories to coordination of military defence measures. In March 2015, the Arab League General Secretary announced the establishment of a Joint Arab Force with the aim of counteracting extremism and other threats to the Arab States. The decision was reached while Operation Decisive Storm was intensifying in Yemen. Participation in the project is voluntary, and the army intervenes only at the request of one of the member states. Existing military cooperation between Arab league states and regional civil wars and terrorist threats were the impetuses for JAF's establishment.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In the early 1970s, the Economic Council put forward a proposal to create the Joint Arab Chambers of Commerce across international states. That led to the setting up of mandates to promote, encourage and facilitate bilateral trade between the Arab world and significant trading partners.
History
[edit]Following adoption of the Alexandria Protocol in 1944, the Arab League was founded on 22 March 1945.<ref name="History">Arab League formed – History.com This Day in History – 3/22/1945 Template:Webarchive.</ref> The official headquarters of the League was the Boustan Palace in Cairo.<ref name= Baqai>Template:Cite journal</ref> It aimed to be a regional organisation of Arab states with a focus to developing the economy, resolving disputes and coordinating political aims.<ref name= Baqai/> Other countries later joined the league.<ref>HowStuffWorks "Arab League". Template:Webarchive History.howstuffworks.com (27 February 2008). Retrieved on 2014-04-28.</ref> Each country was given one vote in the council. The first major action was joint intervention to keep Palestine from being divided into two states in keeping with the decision of the United Nations General Assembly. When Transjordan agreed to this proposal, Egypt intervened to prevent this from happening.<ref>Avi Shlaim, Collusion Across the Jordan: King Abdullah, the Zionist Movement and the Partition of Palestine. Oxford, U.K., Clarendon Press, 1988; Uri Bar-Joseph, Uri, The Best of Enemies: Israel and Transjordan in the War of 1948. London, Frank Cass, 1987; Joseph Nevo, King Abdullah and Palestine: A Territorial Ambition (London: Macmillan Press; New York: St. Martin's Press, 1996.</ref> It was followed by the creation of a mutual defence treaty two years later. A common market was established in 1965.<ref>Robert W. MacDonald, The League of Arab States: A Study in Regional Organization. Princeton, New Jersey, United States, Princeton University Press, 1965.</ref>
The Arab League has not achieved much cooperation throughout its history. According to Michael Barnett and Etel Solingen, the design of the Arab League reflects Arab leaders' individual concerns for regime survival: "the politics of Arab nationalism and a shared identity led Arab states to embrace the rhetoric of Arab unity in order to legitimize their regimes, and to fear Arab unity in practice because it would impose greater restrictions on their sovereignty."<ref name=":0"/> The Arab League was "specifically designed to fail at producing the kind of greater collaboration and integration that might have weakened political leaders at home."<ref name=":0"/>
Geography
[edit]
Template:Color box 1940s Template:Color box 1950s Template:Color box 1960s Template:Color box 1970s
The Arab League member states cover over Template:Convert and straddles two continents: Africa and Asia. The area largely consists of arid deserts, such as the Sahara. Nevertheless, it also contains several highly fertile lands like the Nile Valley, the Jubba Valley and Shebelle Valley in the Horn of Africa, the Atlas Mountains in the Maghreb, and the Fertile Crescent that stretches over Mesopotamia and the Levant. The area comprises deep forests in southern Arabia and parts of the world's longest river, the Nile.
Membership
[edit]Template:Main The Charter of the Arab League, also known as the Pact of the League of Arab States, is the founding treaty of the Arab League. Adopted in 1945, it stipulates that "the League of Arab States shall be composed of the independent Arab States that have signed this Pact."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In 1945, there were seven members,<ref name="Brittanica">Template:Cite web</ref> but the Arab League now has 22 members, including 8 African countries:
and 7 observer states (note: the observer states below have been invited to participate during select Arab League sessions but do not hold voting privileges): Template:Columns-list
Suspensions
[edit]Egypt was suspended from the Arab League on 26 March 1979 due to the Egypt–Israel peace treaty, with the League's headquarters moving from Cairo to Tunis, Tunisia. In 1987, Arab League states restored diplomatic relations with Egypt, the country was readmitted to the League in May 1989 and the League's headquarters were moved back to Cairo in September 1990.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Libya was suspended on 22 February 2011, following the outbreak of the first Libyan civil war.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Arab League voted to restore Libya's membership on 27 August 2011 by accrediting a representative of the National Transitional Council, which was the partially recognised interim government of the country.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Syria was suspended on 16 November 2011 in the aftermath of the outbreak of the Syrian civil war. On 6 March 2013, the Arab League gave Syria's seat in the Arab League to the Syrian National Coalition, the largest opposition group.<ref name="syriannationalcoalition">Template:Cite web</ref> On 9 March 2014, secretary general Nabil Elaraby stated that Syria's seat would remain vacant until the opposition completed the formation of its institutions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2021, the Arab League initiated a process of normalisation between the Syrian Ba'athist government and other Arab nations.<ref>"Saudi Arabia: Talks underway on Syria's return to Arab League" Template:Webarchive middleeastmonitor. Accessed 25 March 2023.</ref> On 7 May 2023, at the meeting of the Council of the Arab League in Cairo, it was agreed to reinstate Syria's membership.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Politics and administration
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The Arab League is a political organization which tries to help integrate its members economically, and solve conflicts involving member states without asking for foreign assistance. It possesses elements of a state representative parliament while foreign affairs are often conducted under UN supervision.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The Charter of the Arab League<ref name="yale"/> endorsed the principle of an Arab nation-state while respecting the sovereignty of the individual member states. The internal regulations of the Council of the League<ref name="haynes">Template:Cite web</ref> and the committees<ref name="haynes2">Template:Cite web</ref> were agreed in October 1951. Those of the Secretariat-General were agreed in May 1953.<ref name="haynes3">Template:Cite web</ref>
Since then, governance of the Arab League has been based on the duality of supra-national institutions and the sovereignty of the member states. Preservation of individual statehood derived its strengths from the natural preference of ruling elites to maintain their power and independence in decision making. Moreover, the fear of the richer that the poorer may share their wealth in the name of Arab nationalism, the feuds among Arab rulers, and the influence of external powers that might oppose Arab unity can be seen as obstacles towards a deeper integration of the league.
Mindful of their previous announcements in support of the Arabs of Palestine the framers of the Pact were determined to include them within the League from its inauguration.<ref name=geddes>Geddes, 1991, p. 208.</ref> This was done by means of an annex that declared:<ref name="yale"/> Template:Cquote
At the Cairo Summit of 1964, the Arab League initiated the creation of an organisation representing the Palestinian people. The first Palestinian National Council convened in East Jerusalem on 29 May 1964. The Palestine Liberation Organization was founded during this meeting on 2 June 1964. Palestine was shortly admitted in to the Arab League, represented by the PLO. Today, State of Palestine is a full member of the Arab League.
At the Beirut Summit on 28 March 2002, the league adopted the Arab Peace Initiative,<ref name="al-bab">Template:Cite web</ref> a Saudi-inspired peace plan for the Arab–Israeli conflict. The initiative offered full normalisation of the relations with Israel. In exchange, Israel was required to withdraw from all occupied territories, including the Golan Heights, to recognise Palestinian independence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as well as a "just solution" for the Palestinian refugees. The Peace Initiative was again endorsed at 2007 in the Riyadh Summit. In July 2007, the Arab League sent a mission, consisting of the Jordanian and Egyptian foreign ministers, to Israel to promote the initiative. Following Venezuela's move to expel Israeli diplomats amid the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict, Kuwaiti member of parliament Waleed Al-Tabtabaie proposed moving Arab League headquarters to Caracas, Venezuela.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 13 June 2010, Amr Mohammed Moussa, Secretary-General of the Arab League, visited the Gaza Strip, the first visit by an official of the Arab League since Hamas' armed takeover in 2007.
The Arab League is a member of the China-Arab States Cooperation Forum (CASCF), which was formed in 2004. CASCF is the Arab League's earliest participation in a cooperation forum with another country or region.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> CASCF is the primarily multi-lateral coordination mechanism between the Arab states and China and within CASCF the Arab League represents its member states as a relatively unified force.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The Arab League's coordination allows Arab states to negotiate actively for collective projects involving multiple states, such as railway projects, nuclear power projects, and Dead Sea initiatives.<ref name=":1" />
In 2015, the Arab League voiced support for Saudi Arabian-led military intervention in Yemen against the Shia Houthis and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was deposed in the 2011 uprising.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On 15 April 2018, in response to the Turkish invasion of northern Syria aimed at ousting U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds from the enclave of Afrin, the Arab League passed a resolution calling on Turkish forces to withdraw from Afrin.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In September 2019, the Arab League condemned Benjamin Netanyahu's plans to annex the eastern portion of the occupied West Bank known as the Jordan Valley.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Arab League met in Cairo on 12 October 2019 to discuss Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria. Upon meeting, its member states voted to condemn the Turkish offensive, dubbing it both an 'invasion' and an 'aggression' against an Arab state, adding that the organization saw it as a violation of international law.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
On 9 September 2020, the Arab League refused to condemn the UAE's decision to normalize ties with Israel. Nevertheless, "The goal all our Arab countries seek, without exception, is to end the occupation and establish an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," Aboul Gheit said.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In January 2024, the Arab League expressed support for South Africa's ICJ genocide case against Israel.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
List of summits
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Emergency summits
[edit]| No. | Date | Host Country | Host City |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21–27 September 1970 | Template:Flag | Cairo |
| 2 | 17–28 October 1976 | Template:Flag | Riyadh |
| 3 | 7–9 September 1985 | Template:Flag | Casablanca |
| 4 | 8–12 November 1987 | Template:Flag | Amman |
| 5 | 7–9 June 1988 | Template:Flag | Algiers |
| 6 | 23–26 June 1989 | Template:Flag | Casablanca |
| 7 | 28–30 May 1990 | Template:Flag | Baghdad |
| 8 | 9–10 August 1990 | Template:Flag | Cairo |
| 9 | 22–23 June 1996 | Template:Flag | Cairo |
| 10 | 21–22 October 2000 | Template:Flag | Cairo |
| 11 | 7 January 2016 | Template:Flag | Riyadh |
| 12 | 11 November 2023 | Template:Flag | Riyadh |
| 13 | 4 March 2025 | Template:Flag | Cairo |
- Two summits are not added to the system of Arab League summits:
- Anshas, Egypt: 28–29 May 1946.
- Beirut, Lebanon: 13 – 15 November 1958.
- Summit 12 in Fes, Morocco, occurred in two stages:
- On 25 November 1981: the 5-hour meeting ended without an agreement on document.
- On 6–9 September 1982.
Military
[edit]Template:Main The Joint Defence Council of the Arab League is one of the Institutions of the Arab League.<ref name="ABC-CLIO">Template:Cite web</ref> It was established under the terms of the Joint Defence and Economic Co-operation Treaty of 1950 to coordinate the joint defence of the Arab League member states.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The Arab League as an organisation has no military Force, similar to the UN, but at the 2007 summit, the Leaders decided to reactivate their joint defence and establish a peacekeeping force to deploy in South Lebanon, Darfur, Iraq, and other hot spots.
At a 2015 summit in Egypt, member states agreed in principle to form a joint military force.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Economic resources
[edit]Template:Main Template:See also The Arab League is rich in resources, such as enormous oil and natural gas resources in certain member states.
Economic achievements initiated by the League amongst member states have been less impressive than those achieved by smaller Arab organisations such as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Among them is the Arab Gas Pipeline, that will transport Egyptian and Iraqi gas to Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey. As of 2013, a significant difference in economic conditions exist between the developed oil states of Algeria, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, and developing countries like the Comoros, Djibouti, Mauritania, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.
The Arab League also includes great fertile lands in the southern part of Sudan. It is referred to as the food basket of the Arab World, the region's instability including the independence of South Sudan has not affected its tourism industry, that is considered the fastest growing industry in the region, with Egypt, UAE, Lebanon, Tunisia, and Jordan leading the way. Another industry that is growing steadily in the Arab League is telecommunications.
Economical achievements within members have been low in the league's history, other smaller Arab Organizations have achieved more than the league has, such as the GCC, but lately several major economic projects that are promising are to be completed, the Arab Gas Pipeline is to end by 2010, Connecting Egyptian and Iraqi Gas to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, and then to Turkey thus Europe, a free trade Agreement (GAFTA) is to be completed by 1 January 2008, making 95% of all Arab products tax free of customs.
Transport
[edit]The Arab League is divided into five parts when it comes to transport, with the Arabian Peninsula and the Near East being entirely connected by air, sea, roads and railways. Another part of the League is the Nile Valley, made up of Egypt and Sudan. These two member states have started to improve the River Nile's navigation system to improve accessibility and thus foster trading. A new railway system is also set to connect the southern Egyptian city of Abu Simbel with the northern Sudanese city of Wadi Halfa and then to Khartoum and Port Sudan. The third division of the League is the Maghreb, where a 3,000 km stretch of railway runs from the southern cities of Morocco to Tripoli in Western Libya. The fourth division of the League is the Horn of Africa, whose member states include Djibouti and Somalia. These two Arab League states are separated by only ten nautical miles from the Arabian Peninsula by the Bab el Mandeb and this is quickly changing as Tarik bin Laden, the brother of Osama bin Laden, has initiated the construction of the ambitious Bridge of the Horns project, which ultimately aims to connect the Horn of Africa with the Arabian Peninsula via a massive bridge. The project is intended to facilitate and accelerate the already centuries-old trade and commerce between the two regions. The last division of the League is the isolated archipelago of the Comoros located off the coast of East Africa, which is not physically connected to any other Arab state, but still trades with other Arab League members.
Literacy
[edit]In collecting literacy data, many countries estimate the number of literate people based on self-reported data. Some use educational attainment data as a proxy, but measures of school attendance or grade completion may differ. Because definitions and data collection methods vary across countries, literacy estimates should be used with caution. United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report 2010. The Persian Gulf region has had an oil boom, enabling more schools and universities to be set up.
| Rank | Country | Literacy rate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Template:Flag | 97.3<ref name="cia.gov">Template:Cite web</ref> |
| 2 | Template:Flag | 96.5<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 3 | Template:Flag | 96.3<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 4 | Template:Flag | 95.7<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 5 | Template:Flag | 95.4<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 6 | Template:Flag | 94.4<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 7 | Template:Flag | 93.9<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 8 | Template:Flag | 93.8<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 9 | Template:Flag | 91.1<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 10 | Template:Flag | 91<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 11 | Template:Flag | 86.4<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 12 | Template:Flag | 85.7<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 13 | Template:Flag | 81.8<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 14 | Template:Flag | 81.8<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 15 | Template:Flag | 80.2<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 16 | Template:Flag | 75.9<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 17 | Template:Flag | 73.8<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 18 | Template:Flag | 70.1<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 19 | Template:Flag | 70.0<ref name="Pcaotw">Template:Cite book</ref> |
| 20 | Template:Flag | 68.5<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 21 | Template:Flag | 52.1<ref name="cia.gov"/> |
| 22 | Template:Flag | 44–72<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> |
Demographics
[edit]Template:Main While Arabs constitute the largest ethnic group in the Arab League, there are several other ethnic groups that also reside in the region, including Berbers, Kurds, Somalis, Assyrians, Armenians, Nubians, Mandaeans, and Circassians. Each of these groups have their own distinct cultures, languages, and traditions. As of 1 July 2013, about 359 million people live in the states of the Arab League. Its population grows faster than in most other global regions. The most populous member state is Egypt, with a population of over 100 million.<ref name="Central Agency for Public Mobilization And Statistics">Template:Cite web</ref> The least populated is the Comoros, with approximately 850,000 inhabitants.
Religion
[edit]The majority of the Arab League's citizens adhere to Islam, with Christianity being the second largest religion. At least 15 million Christians combined live in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan and Syria. In addition, there are smaller but significant numbers of Druze, Yazidis, Shabaks and Mandaeans. Numbers for nonreligious Arabs are generally not available, but research by the Pew Forum suggests around 1% of people in the MENA region are "unaffiliated".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Languages
[edit]The official language of the Arab League is Literary Arabic, based on Classical Arabic. However, several Arab League member states have other co-official or national languages, such as Somali, Afar, Comorian, French, English, Berber and Kurdish. In most countries, there is a dominant non-codified spoken Arabic dialect.
Culture
[edit]Sports
[edit]Template:Main The Pan-Arab Games are considered the biggest Arab sporting event, which brings together athletes from all the Arab countries to participate in a variety of different sports.
The Union of Arab Football Associations organises the Arab Cup (for national teams) and the Arab Club Champions Cup (for clubs). Arab sport federations also exist for several games, include basketball, volleyball, handball, table tennis, tennis, squash and swimming.Template:Citation needed
See also
[edit]- Arab Charter on Human Rights
- Arab Cold War
- Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development (AFESD)
- Arab leaders
- Arab League and the Arab–Israeli conflict
- Arab League boycott of Israel
- Arab Maghreb Union (UMA)
- Arab Monetary Fund
- Arab Organization for Industrialization
- Arab Parliament
- Arab Union
- Bloudan Conference of 1937
- Bloudan Conference of 1946
- Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU)
- Flag of the Arab League
- General Arab Insurance Federation
- General Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for Arab Countries
- Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)
- Inshas
- International Association of Arabic Dialectology (AIDA)
- International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions
- List of conflicts in the Arab League
- List of country groupings
- List of largest cities in the Arab world
- List of multilateral free-trade agreements
- Lists of the Arab League
- Model Arab League
- Orange card system – motor insurance scheme of the Arab League
- Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
- Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC)
- Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
- Pan Arab Games
- Pan-Arabism
- Summit of South American-Arab Countries
- United Arab Command
- Arab Standardization and Metrology Organization
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]External links
[edit]Template:Wikisource Template:Commons
- Template:In lang The League of Arab States (official site).
- Template:In lang League of Arab States Office Template:Webarchive in Washington D.C.
- The League of Arab States at Al-Bab.com
- The Arab League at Council on Foreign Relations
- Profile: Arab League, BBC News, updated 9 August 2011
- Template:JPosttopic
- Template:NYTtopic
Template:Arab League Template:Regional organizations Template:Countries and languages lists Template:Authority control
- Pages with broken file links
- Arab League
- Pan-Arabism
- International organizations based in Africa
- International organizations based in Asia
- International organizations based in the Middle East
- Supranational unions
- Intergovernmental organizations established by treaty
- Anti-Israeli sentiment in Africa
- Anti-Israeli sentiment in Asia
- Organisations based in Cairo
- Organizations established in 1945
- 1945 establishments in Africa
- 1945 establishments in Asia
- 1945 establishments in Egypt
- 1940s in Islam