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Arab News
27-05-2025
- General
- Arab News
Arab journalists, lawmakers call for media reform at Dubai summit
DUBAI: Speaking at the Arab Media Summit on Tuesday, prominent Arab journalists and lawmakers — including Emad El-Din Hussein, Paula Yacoubian, and Mohammed Al-Rumaihi — called for urgent media reform to confront growing political fragmentation and foster greater unity across the Arab world. 'Whether we like it or not, the world changed after Oct. 7, 2023,' said Hussein, editor-in-chief of the Egyptian daily Al-Shorouk. 'I am proud to stand with the Arab League, but we are deeply divided.' Hussein spoke during a panel alongside Yacoubian, Lebanese journalist and member of parliament, and Al-Rumaihi, Kuwaiti author and sociology professor. 'For the first time in the Arab world, we're witnessing significant transformation,' said Yacoubian. 'We are beginning to build our own foundation.' While acknowledging developments such as the Syrian Arab Republic's tentative steps toward stabilization, and the formation of a new Lebanese government, the panelists underscored persistent structural challenges across the region. 'The Israeli dream is to divide Syria — so what are Arabs doing in response?' Yacoubian asked, pointing to regional inaction and disunity. Each panelist offered a distinct perspective on the root causes of the Arab world's instability. 'Political Islam and the manipulation of religion remain among the most serious internal conflicts we face,' said Al-Rumaihi. Hussein echoed this sentiment: 'Political Islam is the biggest threat we face today. While many talk about solutions, few are willing to diagnose the real disease.' Despite differing viewpoints, the panelists agreed on one point: media and education must be at the heart of efforts to heal political rifts. 'Arab education is classical,' Al-Rumaihi noted. 'We need to provide an education to give people immunity against anything the media says.' Hussein added: 'Many can't comprehend the evolving language of today's youth. The Arab world remains in the dark, and our leaders are enabling this. Without free media, we cannot survive.'
Khaleej Times
25-05-2025
- Business
- Khaleej Times
Look: When GCC was born in Abu Dhabi 44 years ago after two-day summit
On May 25, 1981, forty-four years ago, the heads of state of six Gulf contries formally launched the Gulf Cooperation Council at the Inter-Continental Hotel in Abu Dhabi. It was a two-day summit aimed at turning the regional cooperation body into a nucleus for broader unity of all Arab nations. The six leaders who attended the summit were King Khaled Ibn Abdelaziz of Saudi Arabia, Sultan Qaboos bin Said of Oman, Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmed Al Sabah of Kuwait, Sheikh Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa of Bahrain, Sheikh Khalfia bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar and President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan of the UAE. Chedli Klibi, then secretary general of the Arab League, and Habib Chatti, then secretary general of the Islamic Conference Organisation, also attended and addressed the meeting. As reported by Khaleej Times, Sheikh Zayed described the event as a historic and momentous occasion. The UAE founding father saw in the formation of GCC 'the fulfilment of long-cherished hope of the peoples of the region for security, stability and progress.' He told the plenary session of the summit that the GCC would help unify the Arab world and promote solidarity. The charter of the GCC was first agreed upon in Riyadh in February 1981. It was finalised in Muscat in March of the same year. The heads of the six Gulf states signed it with a vision that the six countries would coordinate their policies in financial affairs, trade, communications, education, culture, health, social affairs, information and tourism, and in administrative and legislative affairs. The leaders agreed to mobilise their resources and human and material infrastructure to push the GCC towards success. The GCC charter also stipulates that the six states would jointly step up cooperation in the fields of scientific and technological advancement, industry, mining and agriculture. The GCC is headed by a Supreme Council of the six heads of state. The ministerial council and secretariat are led by the secretary-general. Kuwait's former UN ambassador Abdullah Yacoub Bishara was nominated as the first secretary-general. Leaders of the Arab World welcomed the formation of the GCC. Klibi lauded the role played by Sheikh Zayed in the formation of the council and in supporting the cause of the Arab world. He also underscored the continuing call for united efforts on the economic, political, technological and military fronts.
Daily Tribune
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Tribune
HM King Hamad Receives Deputy PM of Jordan Ayman Safadi
🇧🇭His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa received Jordan's Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at Al-Safriya Palace today, reaffirming the deep-rooted ties between Bahrain and Jordan. 📜 HM King Hamad conveyed his appreciation to HM King Abdullah II and praised Jordan's efforts in promoting Arab cooperation and peace across the region. 🌍 The two leaders discussed key regional developments and emphasized the importance of coordination in supporting stability and shared interests. 🤝Bahrain and Jordan continue to build a partnership rooted in mutual respect, history, and a united vision for peace. #NewsofBahrain #news #Bahrain #Jordan #HMKingHamad #KingAbdullahII #ArabUnity #MiddleEastPeace #ForeignAffairs #RegionalCooperation
Asharq Al-Awsat
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
From the ‘Past' of Summits... to the Economy of ‘State Builders'
Let us forget, for a moment, that the president of the United States is the most powerful political leader in the world, and that he can annihilate humanity at the press of a button or obliterate the global economy with an 'executive order.' For a moment, let us put that to one side and focus, instead, on two undeniable truths that we must address as Arabs during these extraordinary times in our contemporary history. First, we have the truth of Arab affairs as they currently are, not as we would like them to be. Second economic, technological, strategic, and ideological shifts are sweeping the globe at astonishing speed. The Arab states met on Saturday at a summit hosted by Baghdad, a city that had once been the capital of the greatest empire in history. Sadly, it hosted the 34th Arab League summit under unfavorable circumstances that underlined the inertia of our Arab nation more than they showcased a capacity for overcoming existential challenges. To begin with, state representation was modest. Several Arab capitals have reached the conviction that betting on joint Arab action is futile, with some even rejecting the very idea of a single shared Arab identity. Still, no one is willing to admit it explicitly and bear the consequences. Indeed, the deep-seated distrust brewing 'beneath the ashes' has become apparent to anyone keenly following regional issues and impending decisions. Having practiced obfuscation, denial, disregard, and willful neglect, we have become adept at papering over these truths, undermining most initiatives and political approaches that have any real substance or impact. The Arab failure to address chronic flashpoints and crises reflects this. Although some signs of a breakthrough have emerged, tentatively and timidly, in Syria and Lebanon, it is painfully clear that the Arab states have no shared strategy for alleviating the pain of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank. No practical approach for curbing Iranian influence has been developed either, be it Iran's more recent foothold in Yemen or its longstanding hegemony in Iraq, where Tehran-backed militias still have the final say on the ground. And certainly, there are no signs of an imminent end to the chaos in Libya, the escalating crisis in Sudan, or the chronic conflict between Algeria and Morocco. For all these reasons and others, Arab officials have concluded that there is no longer a need to burden the institution of the Arab League with tasks it can no longer undertake - that is, anything beyond the usual generous expressions of fraternity and solidarity and ritualized performative indignation. As for the second truth - the astonishing pace of economic, technological, strategic, and ideological global change - it will affect us. In fact, it has already begun to shape our lives in the Arab world and beyond. I began this piece by stating that the US president is the most powerful 'political' leader in the world to set the stage for developments we must be prepared for and learn to live with. In my humble opinion, there was someone far more important than the 'politician' Trump, despite the success of his Gulf tour. They are the architects of America's future, its global influence, and its political establishment: the executives and investors of technology companies and the industries of the future, particularly artificial intelligence. Among them are Elon Musk, who has now become bigger than a 'kingmaker,' and executives from major corporations, such as NVIDIA, Google, OpenAI, BlackRock, Uber, Blackstone, and others that dominate the Fortune 500 list. These are the people leading the charge of America's war against future challengers, chief among them China. Whereas China synergizes the efforts of the public and private sectors in building its techno-economic arsenal, however, Trump's Washington seems to be armed solely with the power of the private sector, gradually eliminating every non-consumerist role for human beings. To put it plainly: Washington seeks neither obstacles nor restraints nor regulatory standards on investment. It has no legal or organizational framework for investment and regulation, firmly opposing any regime or legislative framework that could slow the pace of liberalization and economic openness. This is a crucial dimension of its struggle for the future, particularly with China, that has major political implications for an era in which interest trumps ideology. The very concept of the state itself is now in doubt. The logic of accountability has become a burden on efficiency. The principle of civil liberties has become just a matter of opinion. The idea of a democracy safeguarded by a constitutional political system has become a contentious issue. At best, it is now debatable and applied with discretion. How could things be otherwise? Indeed, the budgets of the giant corporations waging this global battle far exceed those of sovereign states. This brings me back to an American saying I first heard during my freshman year at university: 'If ideology was the weapon of 20th-century wars, then technology is the weapon of 21st-century wars.' It's no coincidence, then, that the phrase 'America's business is business' (though it was said in a different context) is associated with Republican President Calvin Coolidge (who served from 1923 to 1929), a staunch believer in minimizing the role of the state in the economy, see non-interference in market mechanisms at the criteria for assessing government efficiency. In the world of the future, which is rushing toward us faster than we had ever been prepared for, we fear that our societies, unless our cultural awareness and patterns of thinking change, might not succeed in avoiding the pain and enormous costs that these transformations threaten. We could pay a very high price for maturity.
Times of Oman
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Times of Oman
Sayyid Badr discusses Palestinian cause with Palestine Vice President
Baghdad: Sayyid Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, Foreign Minister met with His Hussein Al-Sheikh, Vice President of the State of Palestine and Deputy Chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The meeting took place on the sidelines of the 34th session of the Arab League Summit and the 5th Arab Economic and Social Development Summit, being held in the Republic of Iraq. The meeting addressed developments in the Palestinian cause in light of the ongoing escalation, emphasizing the necessity of halting the aggression on the Gaza Strip and ensuring the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid. It also highlighted the importance of reaching a comprehensive settlement that leads to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions. Both sides stressed the importance of Palestinian national unity and enhancing joint Arab coordination to reinforce the resilience of the Palestinian people and support their legitimate aspirations.
