Inherited social and political fabrics are a problem for Arab states

Countries find themselves floundering in erratic reactions to early uprisings, an Arabic-language writer says. Other topics: the UAE, and the Muslim Brotherhood.

If the last three years of revolutions and turmoil dubbed the "Arab Spring" taught us anything, it is that the core problem in the majority of Arab states lies in their fabric, suggested the columnist Ali Fakhro in the Sharjah-based daily Al Khaleej.
The fabric of a state includes its foundations, the type of inter-state institutions' relationships and the level of balance between its society and its ruling powers. In this sense, most Arab states are lacking.
"The main issue is that the majority of Arab countries today are powers rather than veritable states.
"And these powers come in various shapes and forms: a military power, an influential sectarian minority or a leading party that overpowers all others," the writer explained.
Throughout their history, and regardless of their form, these powers assimilated the state and took over its material and moral resources through relentless and systematic exploitation.
In turn, the state, now stolen and corrupt, would engulf and smother its own society in a way that paralyses it and impairs its ability to monitor the state's power and hold it accountable when need be.
This type of power led to totalitarian states that practice dictatorship using modern bureaucratic tools that allow it to interfere and control politics, economy, culture and information. Subsequently, they create submissive and weak societies.
"Accordingly a modern Arab state can't be described as a civil state because these are states for the people that live in them and citizens who enjoy equal rights and obligations under just laws that do not discriminate. Hence, politically, economically and socially, they are non-democratic states," the writer said.
This explains why politics in many Arab countries are never stable and why they operate under the immovable banner of dictatorship.
He quoted Joseph Stalin, the notorious tyrant who ran the Soviet Union in the first half of the 20th Century, who said: "The state is an instrument in the hands of the ruling class. It uses it to break the resistance of its enemies."
In the case of the Arab world, the enemy is the population as they attempt to prove their existence and have a role in their respective countries.
This is why these countries have become immune to reasonable and gradual reform, so they find themselves floundering in erratic reactions to early uprisings.
They resist change and insist on freezing time until they eventually disintegrate amid chaos and irreconcilable differences.
Until the problem is resolved at the roots, turmoil will continue to threaten the stability of these countries and any solutions would remain temporary, the writer said.
The UAE: a story of brilliance and success
The UAE is enjoying sweeping progress at all levels and an
indisputable economic development by all standards, said the Dubai-based daily Al Bayan in its editorial on Thursday.
The country has earned respect from both the international community and the region. It comes as no surprise that the UAE has made significant strides on many fronts, economically, socially and politically.
All of this can be attributed to the country's leadership that has made the pursuit of happiness and of growth a palpable reality.
"This blessed land, which shares its wealth with its residents, has been generous internationally. The country's name has become associated with humanitarian drives worldwide in various fields."
The UAE succeeded in carving out economic, real estate and human capital development in parallel to its recognised human and political positions. The country is nowadays viewed as an oasis of stability.
"For all these considerations, Emirati citizens have the right to take pride in their identity at every hoisting of the country's flag and every time the country tops index charts," Al Bayan editorialised.
The UAE stands out as an incredible success story accomplishing in a few decades what other countries have failed to accomplish in centuries.
The Brotherhood are the losers in Iran's deal
I do not understand the Muslim Brotherhood's – and specifically the Gulf Brothers' – derision of their countries after the western-Iranian agreement on Tehran's nuclear power, wrote Tareq Al Humaid in the London-based daily Al Sharq Al Awsat.
"Did they ask themselves a simple question: who is the biggest loser in the region as a result of this agreement?" he asked.
The answer is simple. Whether the agreement with Iran succeeded, or not, the loser is the Muslim Brotherhood, and political Islam in general, Sunnis and Shiites.
Iran did not demand in its negotiations with the West something noteworthy for the Brotherhood. In fact, the US secretary of state accused the Brothers of stealing the Egyptian revolution before arriving to Geneva to sign the agreement with Iran, he added.
In Libya, the Brothers are also under fire, as the government is asking for the West's help to tackle their arms and those of the other Islamist groups there. And that is what other Arab states should do.
In Tunisia, the situation is not better for the Brotherhood. Nor is it with Hamas which struggles to get financial support from Iran.
So the question for the Brotherhood, and political Islam, is: "Why this derision, when you are the losers?" he asked in conclusion.
* Digest compiled by The Translation Desk
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