Iam not sure if the Arab League has any real plans to support Arab Spring countries financially, but what I am sure of is that such plans, if they exist, have not made any significant impact on the economic situation in these countries which is getting worse day by day. The last Arab Economic Social and Development summit was held one year ago in Egypt's Sharm El Sheikh, i.e. before the storm of change which has swept the Arab world. The Arab League said then that it would implement a $2 billion project fund allocated to develop small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Arab states. Will Arab Spring countries have any share in such a fund and in other development programs, and what exactly will be done to revive their economies? No one has answered these questions. Last month, Mohammed Al-Tiweijri, said in published remarks that the economies of the Arab countries, hit by political upheavals, lost a total of $75 billion in 2011. It is always good to read statistics about the outcome of the upheavals, but we would appreciate it more if we were also provided with the League's vision for meeting current challenges. Isn't $75 billion a large enough amount to justify urgent and exceptional aid packages for Arab countries which stand now on the brink of bankruptcy and social unrest? On the political front, the performance of the League before and after the Arab Spring upheavals was not convincing to people. Its latest engagement in the Syrian crisis has not stopped or even reduced the bloodshed in that country. Instead, the number of victims has been increasing and the confrontation between the regime and its opponents has even intensified. The mission of Arab League observers to examine compliance with an earlier plan by the League to stop violence in Syria unfortunately seems to be a failure. Instead of attempting to stop the bloody crackdown on protesters, the objective of the mission has gradually changed to safeguarding the observers themselves, especially after the vehicle of a team of Kuwaiti observers was attacked a few days ago. It was also evident that the Syrian regime is not putting too much hope on Arab League initiatives. The inability of the Arab League to meet political and economic challenges in the region threatens the future of the organization in the new era the region is witnessing. The very late response and reluctance of the League to address prominent Arab crises has always deepened the problems and made them harder to resolve. The different stands taken by Arab governments on certain issues is not an excuse. If there are divisions among Arab governments on certain issues, then it is the League's role to find a compromise. I understand that there are ongoing and positive efforts by the Arab League Secretary General Nabil Al-Arabi to develop the work of the organization and introduce new mechanisms, but we have to take into consideration the time factor and the new nature of the phase in which the region now lives. Moreover, the League must learn a lesson from the Arab Spring. It must understand that a reluctance to respond to the demands and aspirations of people results in eventually paying a much higher price. Now it is up to the 67-year-old Arab League to decide whether to keep its old tools in attempting to meet the new challenges of the Arab Spring or to recharge its power with new tools to enable it to fulfill the dream of Arab unity and cooperation. Hatem Y. Ezz Eldin is a political researcher based in Jeddah. He can be reached at [email protected] __
