Secessionists cannot solve region’s problems

What the Arabic media says about the future of this region.

Iraqi Shiite fighters from the Popular Mobilisation units deploy in the city of Baiji, north of Tikrit. Ahmad Al Rubaye / AFP

The media has been busy dissecting all the talk about secession movements in many conflict-hit countries in the region. Some observers consider the division of strife-torn countries such as Iraq as the only solution, while others believe secessionism would only lead to further chaos and bloodshed.

In the pan-Arab daily Al Hayat, George Semaan commented on recent changes in Iraq that have seen a package of reforms aimed at tackling corruption and keeping the country together.

Semaan said: “This is the last chance for Iraqis. Demonstrations have opened doors to the possibility of a serious change.

“Iraqis stand at a crossroad that will define their destiny.”

He concluded that it was in everyone’s interest to work towards establishing a state based on unity, and not on the basis of sects and religions.

Writing in the pan-Arab daily Asharq Al Awsat, columnist Ali Ibrahim observed that secession would not do any good for Iraq.

In fact, the writer said, “secession cannot be the solution to any problem in any Arab country. It will only aggravate the situation”.

The situation in Libya, Yemen and Syria is an example. The massive chaos in Syria has been caused by extremist organisations such as ISIL that export terrorism to other countries in the region and beyond.

Secessionists are wreaking havoc in that country, where millions of people have become refugees in neighbouring states, while others are risking their lives by trying to cross the Mediterranean by boat, the writer said.

The situation of Libya, where Shias and Sunnis are fighting each others, is similar. This regionalism and divisions are not just dragging the country down, they are having an effect on neighbouring countries and in Europe.

“In Yemen too, previous problems of regionalism have resurfaced,” Ibrahim wrote.

“Many people think that the solution lies in such divisional politics. Such ideas are absurd.

“ISIL is proof of this, as no one can explain why its fighters are killing everyone who comes in their path – be it in Iraq, Syria or Libya.”

The writer remarked that any secessionist movement in Iraq, Libya or Syria would prove to be “much worse than what Yugoslavia experienced” in the 1990s.

He said that the biggest mistake made in Iraq was to dismantle the army and state institutions without having an alternative.

The solution to the problems in the Middle East does not lie in secession, nor the creation of dozens of mini-states. The solution is to correct past mistakes and work towards building a solid foundation based on unity and solidarity, the writer concluded.

* Translated by Carla Mirza

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