Arab unity above all else

The national interest is interlinked with the interests of international organisations, which requires good coordination between federal and local bodies, especially with regard to financial, economic and political aspects. As a result of good coordination, the UAE was able to come out of the global financial crisis with minimal losses, despite the malicious campaign unleashed by the western media against the entire Arab nation, with a focus on the UAE specifically. The criticism by the hostile media is a clear indication of the jealousy and envy of the great successes achieved by the UAE in a short span of time. This is simply because they want the UAE to remain reliant on foreign expertise, with the sole motive of making further financial gains from Gulf countries. Hence, this clearly explains the current state of division that prevails in the Arab world, which is now driven by sectarian and ethnic divisions between different parts of the Arab nation. Of course, the enemies of Arabs are extremely satisfied with the state of deterioration the Arabs have already reached, especially after their involvement in domestic sectarian and ethnic struggles that only serve the interests of World Zionism, which has been planning for a long time not only to control the Arab world, but also to dominate the entire world. The emergence of sectarian and ethnic tensions comes in line with the Protocols of World Zionism, which managed to thwart all attempts towards unity between Arabs, such as the unity between Egypt and Syria in 1958, and the tripartite union and other forms of unions. Yet, it failed to destabilise the federal entity of the UAE, which gets stronger day after day. The Zionist movement is also working hard to fight scientific progress in the Arab world, and even resorts to the policy of assassination against Arab scientists and anyone seen as a threat, especially those working in the nuclear field. Unfortunately, this led to a brain drain from the Arab world to the West. Ironically, the reason behind the migration of highly skilled and professional Arabs to the West is that they are looking for freedom and scientific and intellectual production, and is to escape from all forms of suppression and terrorism committed against scientific intellectuals in the Arab word. All these circumstances have contributed to establishing a superstitious mentality among the public, and led to the promotion of metaphysical thinking, which allowed the promotion of destructive ideas that began to find a fertile ground in some Arab countries, and among some groups. While in GCC countries we find tolerance and acceptance of other cultures, which support the cohesion of cultures and stability in general. This made the GCC countries an attractive environment for human qualifications and manpower, which contributed to creating demographic imbalance, which did not affect the stability and coexistence, because everyone is aware that security and stability is a red line that can not be crossed. Hence, Gulf states enjoy security and safety in spite of the massive waves that surround it, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. November is the month of grief and sorrow in the UAE and the Arab world at large. On November 2, 1917, the Balfour Declaration was issued by the British government, allowing for the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jewish people. Sadly, some Arab regimes contributed to establishing the Zionist entity in collaboration with superpowers. However, the Arab people still believe in the inevitable truth that ushers in the return of Palestine to its rightful owners. After the occupation in Palestine, many military coups took place in several Arab countries which raised the banner of the liberation of Palestine, yet ended with the occupation of more Arab lands in 1967. This was because political regimes in these countries used the Palestine cause only in order to maintain power, and did nothing for Palestine, except to make bombastic and flowery speeches. Today, some believe that it would have been better if the Arabs had accepted the 1947 UN Partition Resolution of Palestine, attributing the loss of Palestine to the political rivalries of that time. The regret by some Arabs is a clear indication of hidden agendas. However, the gradual evolution of social, political and economic conditions has become the pressing demand in Arab societies, which were the victims of past events. Failing to cultivate patriotic and national feelings has contributed to the backwardness of the Arabs and allowed for more divisions among them. What is happening in Iraq stands as a living example of chaos, as well as sectarian and ethnic divisions fuelled by the odious American occupation since 2003, as hundreds of thousands of lives have been claimed. Such struggles serve only the interests of imperial powers, which seek to seize control of the Arab region by stoking sectarian divisions. This is exactly what happened during the traditional colonisation of the Arab world by Britain, France and Italy, and continues to this day. On the local level, the UAE lost its great leader, the late Shaikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the founding father and the builder of the nation in November 2004. As Arabs, we should remember the repeated calls by Shaikh Zayed underlining the importance of Arab solidarity, especially when he said: Arab oil is not more precious than Arab blood. The successful model of unity in the UAE provides concrete evidence that the political will and the solidarity between the leadership and the people is the security valve of the nation. We should draw lessons from Chinese and US experiences, while bearing in mind the European experiment of unity. Europe managed to create a union that brought together huge countries with people of various ethnic backgrounds by placing the interests of its people above other considerations, turning a new page after 100 years of war. Will Arabs learn? Dr Mohammad Abdullah Al Mutawa is a professor of sociology Gulf News