Launching Event for the Arab Integration Report

Abdallah Al-Dardari, former Syrian deputy prime minister, and Haifa Zangana, founding member of the International Association of Contemporary Iraqi Studies, presented the key findings of the Arab integration report. Carnegie’s Maha Yahya moderated the session.

• Weak Arab Integration: Arab integration faces several obstacles, said Al-Dardari, including foreign hegemony, occupation, and a cultural crisis. Furthermore, there has not been true security and stability at the local and regional levels to permit prosperity. He pointed out that trade within the Arab world is lower than trade with sub-Saharan Africa. 
   
• Arab Economy: Food security and water scarcity are key economic issues in the region, said Al-Dardari. Al-Dardari proposed that by dismantling protectionist policies and replacing foreign labor with Arab labor, the regional GDP could be doubled within five years and unemployment decreased by 4.3 percent.
   
• Arab Culture and Language: The Arab integration report also discusses the intellectual, philosophical, and religious challenges faced by the Arabic culture and language, said Zangana. Arab states have a shared culture, including a common language, and it is vital to take advantage of this. Aside from the important of popular movements and youth participation, the report questions whether the Arab world is open to intellectual perspectives and principles, added Zangana. 

Taher Kanaan, former Jordanian deputy prime minister, Ezzeddine Al-Asbahi, deputy director of the International Federation for Human Rights in Yemen, and Jihad Azour, former Lebanese minister of finance, discussed key challenges to political reform and economic integration in the Arab world. Carnegie’s Yezid Sayigh moderated the session. 

• Arab Intelligentsia: There is a marginalization of creativity and intellectual production in the Arab intelligentsia, said Kanaan. This report can act to push Arab ideas forward and start a sort of long-needed intellectual renaissance, he argued. 
   
• A Framework to Follow: The past five decades have been characterized by failures in the Arab world, Al-Asbahi stated. The recent Arab uprisings were not accompanied by a clear vision; there was anger on the streets but no true framework to achieve any real objectives. 
   
• Failing at Democracy: Arab governmental institutions and political parties have historically failed to promote human rights and democracy, said Al-Asbahi. Alternatives to the aging undemocratic institutions in the Arab world are urgently needed. 
   
• Defining Integration: The definition of integration must be clarified, said Azour. An Arab union is quite difficult to achieve without first having reached dialogue and reconciliation. Sayigh noted that integration is necessary to begin political and social reform, arguing that there is a clear causal relationship between democracy and integration. Moreover, Sayigh suggested that the report falls short of understanding the social dynamics of nations’ populations and social classes. 

Inaam Bayoud, founding director of the Higher Arab Institute of Translation in Algeria, Mahmoud Azab, advisor on interreligious dialogue to the Sheikh of al-Azhar in Egypt, Hani Fahs, founding member of the Arab Dialogue Team in Lebanon, and Sami Brahem, director of the Sheikh Mohammed al-Fadel bin Ashour Centre for the Arts in Tunisia, discussed the Arab renaissance. Damascus University’s Mohammed Tayyeb Al-Tizini moderated the session. 

• Religion’s Role in Reform: Any attempt to reform the educational system must first accept that this system is based on religion, said Bayoud. However, Azad noted that religion must not be a tool to divide but should only help maintain the identity of the Arab culture. Furthermore, religion can be used as a means to increase patriotism, added Azab. At its roots, Arab Islamic culture does reject all forms of discrimination and separation and may be aligned with the concept of citizenship, agreed Brahem.
   
• Disadvantaged Arab World: The Arab world has plunged into a quasi-pre-intellectual state due to the abundance of regional and state conflicts, said Al-Tizini. Furthermore, Arabs are living in shame due to many disadvantages, including poverty, conflict, and death, as well as a bitter history of continuous conflicts, he added. 
   
• A Needed Pluralistic Society: Bayoud noted that the report should reach all in society, but especially the youth, who are responsible for implementation. History shows that Arab states should strive towards union, not division, said Fahs. This could involve redefining and modernizing the interpretation of religious texts, suggested Brahem. Support for a pluralistic society where each citizen has an equal right to participate is essential, said Fahs. Brahem emphasized the need for a pluralistic society, noting the need to promote a culture of union, not of adversity and violence.