The problem started in 1947 with their support for the Soviet-backed partition plan for Palestine. Later, in opposing Arab unity under Nasser, Arab communists placed themselves in the camp of Western imperialism.
The glory days of the league during the era of Nasser are gone, writes As`ad AbuKhalil. Statements were made during last week’s summit, but Arabs were not listening.
The repercussions of the open sectarian war sparked by the U.S. invasion of Iraq can still be felt throughout the region, says As`ad AbuKhalil, partly because of Iran’s inaction.
It now stands for torture chambers and car bombs, writes As`ad AbuKhalil. But there was a time when Ba’athists could have inherited the mantle of Nasser and the cause of Arab unity.
Yotam Gidron recalls a time when Israel — before its occupation of the Sinai Peninsula — was diplomatically engaged with Ghana’s Kwame Nkrumah and projecting itself as a plucky postcolonial nation.