Substantial progress at Arab summits is rare. Habitual divisions have marked previous gatherings and have been usually papered over by a convenient consensus on generalities. But when half the leaders of the Damascus summit do not show up, the chances of reaching any sort of breakthrough considerably lessens, and the odds are further shortened when one of the principal parties of the very dispute which has kept so many leaders away, in this case Lebanon, boycotts altogether.
The nonparticipation of so many Arab leaders in Damascus is the culmination of a growing sense of frustration with Syria’s leadership, mostly over its role in Lebanon, its declared support for Hamas in its battle for Palestinian minds and hearts with Fatah, and not to mention its all but declared alliance with Iran. …
There is no shortage of crises in this part of the world: Palestinians against Israel, Palestinians against Palestinians, Iraq, Darfur, Somalia and Arab economic cooperation in a globalized world. But with the summit becoming little more than an opportunity to express dissatisfaction with Syria, little of use has come out of the summit concerning these hot spots. Summits are not just photo-ops. They are meant to settle disputes. No Arab leader can deny the problems the region is facing; it is what route they take to the solutions that make all the difference. Access the full article>>
