Arab League Jeddah Summit: Normalizing to 'Business as Usual'


With the comeback of the Syrian regime to the Arab Autocratic/Authoritarian League, the system of this regional institution has been restored to the normal operation condition. This is per se constitutes an achievement for the Arab mutual cooperation and for this institution, which has not any democratic member among 22 member states of the Arab League. This significant long-awaited breakthrough achievement finally restores the status of the Arab system to 'business as usual'. For the whining activists about tremendous atrocities, destruction and humanitarian catastrophe in Syria, they should answer a very simple question. Why around a million killed Syrians and more than 10 millions of Syrian displaced and refugees and undefined number of disappeared, tortured and raped Syrians besides a continued humanitarian disaster should affect the Arab regimes' 'business as usual' and the Arab League's normal condition? What is the relation or the connection between these two things in the first place? In elaboration and in fact, how do you define their normal condition and business in essence and practice?

Getting back to my related commentary, I am somewhat surprised of the odd expectations of many intellectuals from a regional organization that has zero democracy among its 22 member states. But, however, the question about 'why' they reinstated Syrian regime's membership in this particular time and context is a quite reasonable question. The answer is related to the host state Saudi Arabia and its masterminding of the summit in the context of its new foreign policy.

It starts from the apparent loss, or the unreachable victory at least, in Yemen. This reality intertwined with two key developments, the Biden administration's appeasement policy towards Iran and the somewhat controversial power transition in Saudi Arabia. Muhammad Bin Salman could not forget Biden's harsh remarks and promises about him and his country in general in his electoral campaign, which directly followed by Biden's first surprising international decision after his presidential inauguration removing Hothis from terrorist organizations list.  In this tough situation of Saudi Arabia when there is a transition of power and a challenging and threatening endless war with Iran-backed Hothis in Yemen attacking even the Saudi lands and infrastructure, MBS had no choice but to resort to China and Russia to balance powers after the abandonment by the US, the kingdom's almost eternal ally.

To complete the regional scene and context for Saudi Arabia, Iran regional victories and powers, especially in Syria and Iraq besides Yemen should be added and considered. MBS opted for acknowledging Iran's rising power and influence, so he chose rapproachment with Iran. The smartest move he made in this regard was the resort to China to adjust and maintain the rapproachment with Iran and balance the relations with it after its regional advancement, because otherwise that and in this particular situation, victorious Iran will make him pay a huge price for its victory and his seeming loss.

Back to Jeddah Summit of the Arab League, the normalization with the Syrian regime and its re-admittance was, in my opinion, a part of the Iranian deal. In these circumstances, MBS not to go eastward so far to the extent that will provoke the US and to appease it, he intelligently made this Zelensky meaningless and effectless show. However, everything else in the summit went as 'business as usual' and nothing really interesting or worth to mention.

For the Syrian side, although this Saudi-led Arab new deal about Syria is a moral and ethical slap, it will not change anything on the ground, so the Syrian catastrophe will also be unfortunately 'as usual.'



Stay tuned to my Twitter, Middle East Policy Blog, and NeoInternationalism website for the exciting developments in the region and world's politics.

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