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League of Arab States
جامعة الدول العربية
Jāmiʻat ad-Duwal al-ʻArabiyya
Location of the Arab League
HeadquartersCairo, Egypt1
Official languagesArabic
Membership
22 members
4 observers
Leaders
Amr Moussa (2001-2011)
• Council of
the Arab League
Syria
• Speaker of
the Arab Parliament
Nabih Berri
Establishment
22 March 1945
Area
• Total area
13,953,041 km2 (5,387,299 sq mi) (2nd2)
Population
• 2009 estimate
360,029,936 (3rd2)
• Density
24.33/km2 (63.0/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)2009 estimate
• Total
$2.766 trillion[1]
• Per capita
[citation needed]
GDP (nominal)2009 estimate
• Total
[citation needed]
• Per capita
[citation needed]
Currency
21 currencies
Time zoneUTC+0 to +4
Website
Template:Ar icon http://arableagueonline.org
  1. From 1979 to 1989: Tunis, Tunisia
  2. If ranked among nation states.

Template:Contains Arabic text The Arab League (Arabic: الجامعة العربية al-Jāmiʻa al-ʻArabiyya), officially called the League of Arab States (Arabic: جامعة الدول العربية Jāmiʻat ad-Duwal al-ʻArabiyya), is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia (Middle East). It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan (renamed Jordan after 1946), Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a member on 5 May 1945. The Arab League currently has 22 members and four observers. The main goal of the league is to "draw closer the relations between member States and co-ordinate collaboration between them, to safeguard their independence and sovereignty, and to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries."[2]

Through institutions such as the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO) and the Economic and Social Council of the Arab League's Council of Arab Economic Unity (CAEU), the Arab League facilitates political, economic, cultural, scientific and social programs designed to promote the interests of the Arab world.[3][4] It has served as a forum for the member states to coordinate their policy positions, to deliberate on matters of common concern, to settle some Arab disputes, and to limit conflicts such as the 1958 Lebanon crisis. The League has served as a platform for the drafting and conclusion of many landmark documents promoting economic integration. One example is the Joint Arab Economic Action Charter which sets out the principles for economic activities in the region.

Each member state has one vote in the League Council, while decisions are binding only for those states that have voted for them. The aims of the league in 1945 were to strengthen and coordinate the political, cultural, economic, and social programs of its members, and to mediate disputes among them or between them and third parties. Furthermore, the signing of an agreement on Joint Defense and Economic Cooperation on 13 April 1950 committed the signatories to coordination of military defense measures.

The Arab League has played a role in shaping school curricula, advancing the role of women in the Arab societies, promoting child welfare, encouraging youth and sports programs, preserving Arab cultural heritage, and fostering cultural exchanges between the member states. [citation needed] Literacy campaigns have been launched, intellectual works reproduced, and modern technical terminology is translated for the use within member states. The league encourages measures against crime and drug abuse, and deals with labour issues—particularly among the emigrant Arab workforce.

Member states

Main article: Member states of the Arab League
Joining dates of member states; the Comoros (circled) joined in 1993.
  1940s   1950s   1960s   1970s

The Arab League was founded in Cairo in 1945 by seven countries. There was a continual increase in membership during the second half of the 20th century, with additional 15 Arab states and 4 observers being admitted, with a current total of 22 member states.

On February 22, 2011, following the 2011 Libyan uprising and the use of military force against civilians, the Arab League Secretary General, Amr Moussa, stated that Libya's membership in the Arab League had been suspended: "the organisation has decided to halt the participation of the Libyan delegations from all Arab League sessions".[1] This makes Libya the second country in the League's history to have a frozen membership. Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi declared that the League was illegitimate, saying, "The Arab League is finished. There is no such thing as the Arab League".[5][6]

History

Main article: History of the Arab League

The Arab League was founded on 22 March 1945 by a group of Arab countries, namely Egypt, Lebanon, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Yemen. It was aimed to be a regional organisation of Arab states with a focus to developing the economy, resolving disputes, and coordinating political aims.[7] Other countries joined the league at later dates.[8] Each country was given one vote in the council. The first major action was the joint attack on the newly formed State of Israel upon its independence in 1948. The failure of this resulted in the creation of a mutual defense treaty two years later. A common market was established in 1965.[7]

Geography

Administrative divisions in the Arab League
Main article: Geography of the Arab League

The area of members of the Arab League covers around 14,000,000 km2 (5,400,000 sq mi) and straddles two continents: Africa, and Asia. The area consists of large arid deserts, namely the Sahara. Nevertheless, it also contains several very fertile lands, such as the Nile Valley, the High Atlas Mountains, and the Fertile Crescent which stretches from Iraq over Syria, and Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, and Israel. The area comprises deep forests in southern Arabia, and southern Sudan as well as the major parts of the world's longest river, the Nile River.

The area witnessed the rise of many ancient civilizations: Ancient Egypt, Ancient Israel, Assyria, Babylon, Phoenicia, Carthage, Kush, and Nabateans, [which?].

Part of a series on the
Politics of the Arab world
Issues
Weapons of mass destruction
Geography
Regions
Deserts
Governance
Institutions
Unity
Arab leaders
Ideology
Attempts at political union
Organizational unions
Foreign relations
Multilateral
Bilateral
Military
Joint defence
Economy
Transportation
Railways
Bridges
Culture
Media
Arab Capital of Culture
Sport
Demographics
Religion
Ethnicities
Lifestyles
Language

Governance

Headquarters of the Arab League, beside Tahrir Square in Downtown Cairo
Main article: Government of the Arab League

The Charter of the Arab League[2] endorsed the principle of an Arab homeland while respecting the sovereignty of the individual member states. The internal regulations of the Council of the League[9] and the committees[10] were agreed in October 1951. Those of the Secretariat-General were agreed in May 1953.[11]

Since then, governance of the Arab League has been based on the duality of supra-national institutions and the sovereignty of the member states. Preservation of individual statehood derived its strengths from the natural preference of ruling elites to maintain their power and independence in decision making. Moreover, the fear of the richer that the poorer may share their wealth in the name of Arab nationalism, the feuds among Arab rulers, and the influence of external powers that might oppose Arab unity can be seen as obstacles towards a deeper integration of the league.

Economy

Main article: Economy of the Arab League

The Arab League is rich in resources, with enormous oil and natural gas resources in certain member states; it also has great fertile lands in southern Sudan, usually referred to as the food basket of the Arab World. The region's instability has not affected its tourism industry that is considered the fastest growing industry in the region, with Egypt, the UAE, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan, and Lebanon leading the way.[citation needed] Another industry that is growing steadily in the Arab League is telecommunications. Within less than a decade, local companies such as Orascom, and Etisalat have managed to compete internationally.

Economic achievements initiated by the League amongst member states have been less impressive than those achieved by other smaller Arab organisations such as the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). However, several promising major economic projects are set to be completed soon.[12] Among them is the Arab Gas Pipeline, scheduled to be accomplished in 2010. It will transport Egyptian and Iraqi gas to Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey. The Greater Arab Free Trade Area (GAFTA), planned to come into effect on 1 January 2008, will render 95% of all Arab products free of customs.[citation needed]

Economic development in the Arab League is very disparate. Significant difference in wealth and economic conditions exist between the rich oil states of the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait, and Algeria on the one hand, and poor countries like the Comoros, Mauritania, and Djibouti on the other. Arab economic funding is under development. As an example, the Arab League agreed to support the Sudanese region of Darfur with US$500 million, and Egyptian, and Libyan companies are planning to build several wells in this dry area.

List of member states by GDP (PPP)

See also: List of countries by GDP (PPP) and List of countries by GDP (PPP) per capita

Education

Arab League map indicating literacy by country (2010 Human Development Report) Grey = no data
Main article: List of countries by literacy rate

In collecting literacy data, many countries estimate the number of literate people based on self-reported data. Some use educational attainment data as a proxy, but measures of school attendance or grade completion may differ. Because definitions and data collection methods vary across countries, literacy estimates should be used with caution. United Nations Development Programme, Human Development Report 2010.

Rank Country Literacy rate
1  Kuwait 94.5[13]
2  Palestinian Authority 94.1[14]
3  Qatar 93.1[15]
4  Jordan 92.2[13]
5  Bahrain 90.8[15]
6  United Arab Emirates 90.0[15]
7  Lebanon 89.6[14]
8  Libya 88.4[13]
9  Oman 86.7[14]
10  Saudi Arabia 85.5[13]
11  Syria 83.6[16]
12  Tunisia 78[13]
13  Iraq 77.6[14]
14  Comoros 73.6[16]
15  Algeria 72.6[13]
16  Sudan 69.3[14]
17  Egypt 66.4[16]
18  Yemen 60.9[16]
19  Mauritania 56.8[16]
20  Morocco 56.4[16]
21  Djibouti No info submitted[14]
22  Somalia No info submitted

Status of the Palestinian Territories

See also: Arab Peace Initiative

Mindful of their previous announcements in support of the Arabs of Palestinian Authority the framers of the Pact were determined to include them within the League from its inauguration.[17] This was done by means of an annex that declared:[2]

Even though Palestine was not able to control her own destiny, it was on the basis of the recognition of her independence that the Covenant of the League of Nations determined a system of government for her. Her existence and her independence among the nations can, therefore, no more be questioned de jure than the independence of any of the other Arab States. [...] Therefore, the States signatory to the Pact of the Arab League consider that in view of Palestine's special circumstances, the Council of the League should designate an Arab delegate from Palestine to participate in its work until this country enjoys actual independence

At the Cairo Summit of 1964, the Arab League initiated the creation of an organisation representing the Palestinian people. The first Palestinian National Council convened in East Jerusalem on 29 May 1964. The Palestinian Liberation Organization was founded during this meeting on 2 June 1964.

Today, the Palestinian Authority enjoys the status of a full member of the Arab League as the State of Palestine (not as the Palestinian Authority, as is the case in certain other international fora).

At the Beirut Summit on 28 March 2002 the league adopted the Arab Peace Initiative,[18] a Saudi-inspired peace plan for the Arab–Israeli conflict. The initiative offered full normalisation of the relations with Israel. In exchange, Israel was requireded to withdraw from all occupied territories, including the Golan Heights, to recognise Palestinian independence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital, as well as a "just solution" for the Palestinian refugees.

The Peace Initiative was again endorsed at 2007 in the Riyadh Summit. In July 2007, the Arab League sent a mission, consisting of the Jordanian and Egyptian foreign ministers, to Israel to promote the initiative. The mission was welcomed with reservations by Israel.[citation needed]

Following Venezuela's move to expel the resident Israeli diplomats amid the 2008–2009 Israel–Gaza conflict, Kuwaiti member of parliament Waleed al-Tabtabai made a public plea to move the Arab League headquarters from Cairo to Caracas, Venezuela.[19]

On 13 June 2010, Amr Mohammed Moussa, Secretary-General of the Arab League visited the Gaza Strip in a move to pressure Israel to lift its economic blockade against the Gaza due to its leadership under Hamas. The visit by Moussa was the first by an official of the Arab League since the election of Hamas in 2007. Immediately after the Israeli raid on the flotilla of ships bringing aid to Gaza, Moussa said the Arab League would go to the UN Security Council to demand the blockade be lifted. Israel maintains that the blockade is needed for Israeli security.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of the Arab League

The Arab League is a culturally and ethnically diverse association of 22 member states, although the overwhelming majority of the League's population identifies as Arab (either on a cultural basis, or on an ethno-racial basis). As of 1 January 2007, about 340,000,000 people live in the states of the Arab League. Its population grows faster than in most other global regions. This threatens to diminish the slow economic expansion expected in the league's developing countries.[citation needed]

The most populous member state is Egypt, with a population of about 77.5 million. The least populated is the Comoros, with over 0.6 million inhabitants.

Since large parts of the Arab countries are desert, the population is concentrated in and around cities where most the trade and industry are located. The largest Arab city is Cairo, followed by Baghdad, Khartoum, Giza, Damascus, Riyadh, and Casablanca.

Pos Country Population
1  Egypt 79,089,650
2  Sudan 43,939,598
3  Algeria 35,423,000
4  Morocco 32,200,000
5  Iraq 31,234,000
6  Saudi Arabia 27,136,977
7  Yemen 23,580,000
8  Syria 22,505,000
9  Tunisia 10,432,500
10  Somalia 9,359,000
11  Libya 6,420,000
12  Jordan 6,407,085
13  United Arab Emirates 4,975,593
14  Lebanon 4,224,000
15  Palestinian territories 4,136,540 (Disputed)
16  Kuwait 3,566,437
17  Mauritania 3,291,000
18  Oman 2,845,000
19  Qatar 1,696,563
20  Bahrain 1,234,596
21  Djibouti 864,000
22  Comoros 691,000
Total  Arab League 355,251,539

Religion

Religions
Muslims
 
 91%
Christians
 
 5%
Others
 
 4%

Judaism, Christianity, and Islam were all founded in or near areas that are now Arab League countries. Today, consequently, the vast majority of the Arab League's citizens are Muslim, with Christianity being the second largest religion. Prior to the establishment of the State of Israel, significant number of Jews also lived in Arab counties, but these communities are nearly extinct since the Jewish exodus from Arab and Muslim lands. The members of the Arab League host several holy cities and other religiously significant locations, including Bethlehem, Alexandria, Mecca, Medina, Najaf, Kirkuk, Arbil, and Baghdad. Sunni Muslims make up the majority of the Arab League's citizens. However, large numbers of Shi'a Muslims make up the majority in areas of Lebanon, Iraq, Bahrain, and Kuwait.

Christianity is the second largest religion in the League, with over 20 million Christians living in countries such as Iraq, Lebanon, Egypt, Sudan, Syria, and Jordan. There are smaller Jewish populations living mainly in the western part of the Arab League. States such as Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia all have Jewish populations. However, most Jews living in the Arab World immigrated or were expelled to Israel after its creation in 1948. Other minor religions such as the Bahá'í Faith are practiced on a much smaller scale.

  • Muslim population - 311,093,951
  • Total population - 339,510,535

Religious percentages of the Arab League

N Country Islam Christians Others
_  Arab League 91% 5% 4%
1  Algeria 98% 1% 1%
2  Bahrain 81.2% 9% 8.81%
3  Comoros 99% 1% n/a
4  Djibouti 94% 5% 1%
5  Egypt 90% 9% 1%
6  Iraq 95% 4.3% 0.7%
7  Jordan 93% 6% 1%
8  Kuwait 85% 10% 5%
9  Lebanon 59.7% (Druze represent 5%) 40% 0.3%
10 Libya 97% 0% 3%
11  Mauritania 100% 0% 0%
12  Morocco 95% 5% 0%
13  Oman 92.5% 5% 2.5%
14  Palestinian Authority 92% 8% -
15  Qatar 77.6% 11% 11.4%
16  Saudi Arabia 100% 0% 0%
17  Somalia 100% 0% 0%
18  Sudan 70% 5% 25%
19  Syria 87% (Druze represent 3%) 10% 3%
20  Tunisia 98% 1% 1%
21  United Arab Emirates 76% 9% 15%
22  Yemen 99% 0.2% 0.8%

Comparisons with other organizations

The Arab League resembles the Organization of American States, the Council of Europe, and the African Union, in that it has primarily political aims. However, membership in the League is based on culture rather than purely geographical location. In this respect, the Arab League resembles organisations such as the Latin Union, or the Caribbean Community.

The Arab League differs notably from the European Union in that it has not achieved a significant degree of regional integration, and the organisation itself has no direct relations with the citizens of its member states. However, the Arab League is based on principles that support and promote a unified Arab nationalism, and a common position among Arab states on various issues.

All Arab League members are also members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference. In turn, the memberships of the smaller GCC, and Arab Maghreb Union organisations are subsets of that of the League.

Secretaries-General

Abdul Rahman Azzam 1945 to 1952 (Egypt )
Abdul Khalek Hassouna 1952 to 1972 (Egypt - )
Mahmoud Riad 1972 to 1979 (Egypt )
Chedli Klibi 1979 to 1990 (Tunisia )
Ahmed Asmat Abdel-Meguid 1991 to 2001 (Egypt )
Amr Moussa 2001 to 2011 (Egypt )

Summits

Summits Held in Arab Cities
2
  • Two summits are not added to the system of Arab League summits:
    • Anshas, Egypt: 28–29 May 1946
    • Beirut, Lebanon: 13 – 15 November 1956
  • Summit 14 in Fes, Morocco, occurred in two stages:
    • On 25 November 1981: The 5-hours meeting ended without an agreed on document.
    • On 6–9 September 1982

See also

References

  1. ^ MENAFN (28 December 2009). "Qatar, UAE, wealthiest Arab states". Retrieved 26 July 2010.
  2. ^ a b c "Pact of the League of Arab States, 22 March 1945". The Avalon Project. Yale Law School. 1998. Retrieved 9 July 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "The Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALESCO)".
  4. ^ Ashish K. Vaidya, Globalization, (ABC-CLIO: 2006), p.525
  5. ^ Souhail Karam - Tom Heneghan - Michael Roddy (Wed Mar 16, 2011 1:01am GMT). "Gaddafi taunts critics, dares them to get him". Reuters Africa. Retrieved March 20, 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Kat Higgins (7:13am UK, Wednesday March 16, 2011). "Libya: Clashes Continue As World Powers Stall". Sky News. Retrieved March 20, 2011. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/arab-league-formed
  8. ^ http://history.howstuffworks.com/asian-history/arab-league.htm
  9. ^ "Internal Regulations of the Council of the League of Arab States". Model League of Arab States. Ed Haynes, Winthrop University. 6 April 1998. Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  10. ^ "Internal Regulations of the Committees of the League of Arab States". Model League of Arab States. Ed Haynes, Winthrop University. 6 April 1998. Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  11. ^ "Internal Regulations of the Secretariat-General of the League". Model League of Arab States. Ed Haynes, Winthrop University. 6 April 1998. Archived from the original on 6 April 2008. Retrieved 9 July 2008.
  12. ^ Reuters.com
  13. ^ a b c d e f p. 193
  14. ^ a b c d e f p. 195
  15. ^ a b c p. 192
  16. ^ a b c d e f p. 194
  17. ^ Geddes, 1991, p. 208.
  18. ^ "The Arab Peace Initiative, 2002". al-bab.com. 1 October 2005. Retrieved 9 July 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ "Kuwaiti MP calls to move Arab league to Venezuela". AFP, via CaribbeanNetNews. 15 January 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2009.

Further reading

  • Ankerl, Guy: Coexisting Contemporary Civilizations: Arabo-Muslim, Bharati, Chinese, and Western. Geneva, INU Press, 2000. ISBN 2-88155-0044-5
  • Geddes, Charles L: A Documentary History of the Arab-Israeli Conflict. Greenwood Press, 1991. ISBN 0-275-93858-1
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