NORTH AFRTCA SERIES
Vol. V
No. 4
American Unive
Reports from Foreign Countries
T H E ARAB LEAGUE IN CASABLANCA
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T h e letters and reports ~ s s u e d6 ) the AA\lERI C A N Crh~IVERS17'1ESFIELD STAFF are not
selected to accord z ~ j ~ a12
t h edrtorral policy nlzd do
not vepreseizt the z'jews of its nzembership. Respoi~sjbjlityfor accuracy of facts nrzd for opjn? ~ solely
ioizs exprersed tiz the p ~ l b ~ l c a t i o lrests
with he i~zdil~idztal
corr.e.rpot~de~~ts.
Phillips Talbot
Executive Director
T r e n d s i n t h e A r a b League a s Revealed by
Its 32nd Meeting
by C h a r l e s F. Gallagher
Tangier
S e p t e m b e r 26, 1959
At t h e c l o s e of t h e 7th c e n t u r y 'Uqba ibn
Nafi, t h e A r a b g e n e r a l , l e d t h e v a n g u a r d of h i s conq u e r i n g I s l a m i c a r m i e s i n a r a i d a c r o s s North
A f r i c a a s f a r a s t h e Atlantic s h o r e s of m o d e r n - d a y
M o r o c c o and t h e r e planted h i s b a n n e r s i n the s u r f ,
r e g r e t t i n g only that t h e r e w e r e no m o r e l a n d s to
t h e West to b e conquered i n t h e n a m e of God.
F r o m that t i m e on t h e Maghreb, the Weste r n Island to t h e A r a b s , w a s p r o g r e s s i v e l y I s l a m i c i z e d and a r a b i z e d a s p a r t of a continuing p r o c e s s
that h a s continued even under the r u l e of a E u r o pean power which h a s brought i n a h o s t of W e s t e r n izing influences during t h e p a s t c e n t u r y .
P r o b a b l y t h e s i m p l e s t s t a t e m e n t that could
b e m a d e about t h e t h i r t y - s e c o n d m e e t i n g of the
League of A r a b S t a t e s held i n C a s a b l a n c a e a r l i e r
t h i s month l i e s in t h i s context. It w a s one c ~ fa continuing s e r i e s of e f f o r t s , within t h e c u r r e n t renewal
of t i e s and r e d i s c o v e r e d common s e n t i m e n t s a n d
a s p i r a t i o n s , a i m e d a t bringing to life t h e ancient
concept of A r a b unity s t r e t c h i n g , a s it did i n t h e
f i r s t y e a r s of t h e Ummayad Caliphate, f r o m the
P e r s i a n Gulf to t h e Atlantic.
But once having suggested t h i s , i m p o r t a n t
qualifications should be a t t a c h e d . F o r soon a f t e r
American Universities
Field Staff
366 M a d ~ s o nAvenue
New York 17. N.Y
t h e o r i g i n a l c o n q u e s t of N o r t h -Africa cnding I ~ I7 1 0 ,
h e r e t i c a l a n d s e c e s s l o r l i s t m o v e m e n t s followed s o
r e p e a t e d l y a n d s u c c e s s f u l l y that t h e g r e a t e r p a r t of
the Maghreb led a t most times thereafter an existe n c e q u i t e independent of t h e E a s t e r n p a r t of the
A r a b w o r l d . An I s l a m i c t r a d i t i o n r o o t e d In d unique
underlying r a c i a l stock a n d embellished by r e g i o n a l
individuality s h a p e d t h e c u l t u r e of Nortb A i r i c a i n
the intervening centuries.
And i t i s s t i l l t h e c e n t r i f u g a l f o r c e of Maghr e b i a n r e g i o n a l i s m - - w h i c h h a s of c o u r s e b e e n
s t r o n g l y r e i n f o r c e d i n r e c e n t t l r n e s by a c o n t a c t
with E u r o p e q u i t e d i f f e r e n t f r o m what took p l a c e i n
t h e M i d d l e E a s t - - w h i c h i s vying with t h e c e n t r a l
t r a d i t i o n , t h e i d e a l of a united A r a b o - M u s l i m c o m m u n i t y . T h e c o n t e s t today s e e m s t o b e unequal i n
t h a t t h e highly v o c a l f o r c e s f o r unity h a v e outs h o u t e d t h e i r r i v a l s ; indeed, i t i s difficult to find
a n outspoken r i v a l b e c a u s e t h e concept of unity- a n d h e r e i s m e a n t only a s p i r i t u a l a n d psychological
c l o s e n e s s a n d not a n o r g a n i c p o l i t i c a l unity- - h a s
no o p e n opponents
.
No one i s willing t o s t a n d a g a i n s t A r a b i s m ,
a n d i t would b e w r o n g e v e n to s u g g e s t t h a t any
r e s p o n s i b l e l e a d e r w a n t s t o . But t h e r e a r e n u a n c e s
within A r a b d o m e v e r y w h e r e which a r e ~ m p o r t a n t ,
j u s t a s a m o n g t h e E u r o p e a n c o u n t r i e s which have
ioxLlntinew c o m m o n i n t e r e s t s o r e v e n within t h e
Corn-xunist b l o c s t a t e s . T h e y m a k e f o r a d i f f e r e n c e
of a p p r o a c h a n d outlook which i s inevitable when
dealing with s u c h a l a r g e n u m b e r of s t a t e s c o v e r ing a n I m m e n s e g e o g r a p h i c a l a r e a with c o n s i d e r a b l e
d i v e r s i t y within t h e unity. T h e p r o b l e m 1s l e s s one
of t r y i n g t o b e d i f f e r e n t within the s a m e c u l t u r a l
s t r a i t j a c k e t t h a n s e e k i n g t o a c h i e v e h a r m o n y without
too greatly distorting the social and h i s t o r i c a l p e r s o n a l i t y of t h e individual c o u n t r y o r r e g l o n . T h e
difficulties involved w e r e c1e.i r l y shown a t t h l s
m e e t i n g of t h e A r a b L e a g u e .
T h e 1959 A r a b L e a g u e i s a v e r y d i f f e r e n t
a f f a i r f r o m t h e o r i g i n a l o r g a n i z a t i o n e s t a b l i s h e d in
M a r c h 1945. T h a t w a s a grouping of s e v e n s t a t e s :
E g y p t , I r a q , L e b a n o n , S y r i a , T r a n s j o r d a n , Saudi
A r a b i a , a n d Y e m e n . O n e of t h e s e , S y r i a , h a s
C'I-IAltLES F. (:ALL46IIE',R, on<,ot tlii,
fen Alrnc~-ican$
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in,ijo~etf irr Far Easten) l,u~gn,igt,\m d
ili\toi\. ant1 W,I\ yradll,ltc.d sttmnln crrnr
l ~ u c l c In 1951 h c began the \tnd) of
Isl'imic socicxt~r.itn.,trded Fulhright ,111tl
Ford fellou ship\. he \\as able to tlc~\,ote
tn o \ e.irs it1 P,tri\ .11id tht ce !cA,r15 ~ r i
f o r t h Afric't to 111s Iil,itnic p i o g ~,irn.
1'1x)t1 cu~mpleting1115 rcsc,ndi ~u 1<,11),1t,
Ile settled rn Tangier to ~7 rite .t li1$tc114
nf hfoiocco ,inti .I graInm,tr of \f~g111rhim Arabic. He jointad the AIrFS i t 1
1956. and first tolirec1 AUFS intrnljci
institutions in 1956-,57.
c e a s e d to e x i s t a s a nation through i t s union with Egypt, and a n o t h e r , Yemen,
i s in a nominal and v e r y loose federation with the new United A r a b Republic.
T r a n s j o r d a n h a s become, with the annexation of p a r t s of what was P a l e s t i n e ,
the H a s h e m i t e Kingdom of the Jordan. And since 1945, four new c o u n t r i e s
have b e c o m e League m e m b e r s : Libya (1953), Sudan (1956), Tunisia (1958),
and Morocco ( 1958).
A glance a t the m a p i s revealing. At i t s inception s i x of the seven
original m e m b e r s w e r e Asian c o u n t r i e s , Egypt excepted. They w e r e the cutup s t a t e s of t h e A r a b heartland and w e r e peopled, except on the n o r t h e r n m o s t
f r i n g e of the a r e a , by what one might c a l l pure-blooded A r a b s , of r a c e and
language. All four of the n e w c o m e r s a r e African s t a t e s and they have moved
the geographical c e n t e r and the s e n s i b l e f o c u s of the organization westward
and a bit southward.
The s i z e and balance of population h a s changed, too. Originally around
thirty-five million p e r s o n s w e r e included i n the seven League countries in
1945. Now the League r e p r e s e n t s o v e r seventy million, of whom twenty-five
million a r e i n the new African c o u n t r i e s , twenty-five million in Egypt, and a
bit o v e r twenty million in the A r a b i a n - F e r t i l e C r e s c e n t a r e a . The effect of
t h i s h a s not been a b s e n t f r o m r e c e n t A r a b world politics. One need c o n s i d e r
no m o r e than the s p a c e given i n the Moroccan p r e s s to the "Cameroons
l i b e r a t i o n s t r u g g l e , " the influence of Bourguiba on the l e a d e r s of the Mali
F e d e r a t i o n , P r i m e M i n i s t e r I b r a h i m ' s reception in Conakry, and the complic a t e d r e l a t i o n s of Egypt with Ghana and N i g e r i a - t o - b e to r e a l i z e that i t i s a
f a r c r y f r o m L a w r e n c e of Arabia and Glubb P a s h a . The F r e n c h once liked to
think of t h e i r p r o t e c t o r a t e , Morocco, a s a kind of California boomland; that
d r e a m h a s faded but within the A r a b world a t p r e s e n t Morocco i s beginning
to have something of the weight that California c a r r i e s on the A m e r i c a n politi c a l scene, and externally i t i s c r e a t i n g new f r o n t i e r s of A r a b policy just a s
California gave A m e r i c a a F a r E a s t e r n policy a f t e r 1850. Nothing could have
underlined the new orientation m o r e than the a p p e a r a n c e a t t h e opening-day
c e r e m o n i e s in Casablanca of the M i n i s t e r of National Economy of Guinea a s
a n unprecedented guest s p e a k e r .
One v i s i b l e r e s u l t of the w e s t w a r d d r i f t was s e e n i n t h e E a s t - W e s t
confrontation a t the conference. In the words of one e x p e r t o b s e r v e r , the
meeting "brought P a l e s t i n e to North Africa and Algeria to the Middle E a s t . "
T h i s a n a l y s i s i s h a r d to a g r e e with completely b e c a u s e P a l e s t i n e - - i n spite of
Moroccan official a c t s such a s adhering to the Boycott Office and just recently
suspending postal communications with I s r a e l - - i s not a burning i s s u e in the
A r a b West. But t h e point should not b e overlooked: the two p r o b l e m s a r e a t
l e a s t of equal i m p o r t a n c e on a governmental l e v e l and official A r a b policy
i s t o t r e a t t h e m a s such. If anything--and p e r h a p s b e c a u s e of the hope of a
m o r e reasonably i m m e d i a t e s e t t l e m e n t - - m o r e attention is being given A l g e r i a
a t the moment.
This change i s startling in itself, f o r the Arab League, s o to speak,
was born to the P a l e s t i n e problem and grew up with i t . It h a s dominated i t s
existence f r o m 1945 down to now. And while it i s not any the l e s s urgent for
the A r a b s - -it i s important not to misunderstand that- -the preoccupations
about Algeria, the l a s t l a r g e Arab a r e a under foreign control, have come to
rival it.
The contrast i n the handling of the problems was noticeable a t the
conference itself, in the s e s s i o n s to which representatives of the Provisional
Algerian government w e r e admitted a s o b s e r v e r s , and in the hotel c o r r i d o r s
where FLN m i n i s t e r s w e r e buried in a frenzied activity commensurate with
t h e i r position a t the meeting. It was c l e a r that the Algerians had a b r a s s y
self -confidence- -they had, a f t e r all, a n established government recognized
by 17 countries, possibly the b e s t organized and trained fighting f o r c e in the
Arab world, and t h e i r t e r r i t o r y was not coveted o r partially occupied by their
neighbors. The FLN spoke for itself, the Palestinians w e r e spoken for and
about by friends and relations who w e r e not always in agreement. [HOW
c l e a r l y the Algerians a r e m a s t e r s in t h e i r own house-in-exile was revealed
a f t e r the Arab League meeting i n their response to the De Gaulle proposals
for auto-determination. The C a i r o p r e s s was suggesting, and p r e s s i n g f o r ,
a n outright refusal, the Tunisians counseled moderation and an all-Maghreb
conference before a decision was taken. Neither of 'these FLN-host countries
was completely satisfied with the answer a s made, but both, and a l l other Arab
s t a t e s went down the line in support a f t e r the announcement. The Algerian
problem i s probably the only one about which Baghdad and C a i r o and Tunis
a r e in even limited a c c o r d a t present.]
The League's internal difficulties w e r e made manifest a t the s t a r t by
the absentees a t roll-call. Missing, for r e a s o n s that had something in common, w e r e Tunisia and Iraq.
Tunisia joined the League along with Morocco i n 1958, but i t was no
sooner in i t than it walked out i n dudgeon. At the October meeting l a s t y e a r
in Cairo, the Tunisian representative brought up the delicate i s s u e of United
A r a b Republic support of Tunisian opponents-in-exile to the Bourguiba Government and presented what the Tunisians charged was proof of N a s s e r i t e
attempts to overthrow t h e i r regime. This b r e a c h of protocol got them n e
support (even the Moroccan Ambassador was mildly reproachful a t t h e i r
lack of "tact"), a motion of c e n s u r e was passed, and Tunisia left the meeting
and, in effect, the League. It did not r e s i g n but i t h a s taken no p a r t i n subsequent activities.
A few days before the Casablanca conference, S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l
Hassouna of the League visited Tunis and apparently thought he had gotten a
v e r b a l agreement to attend; a t l e a s t he was issuing optimistic statements on
a r r i v a l in Morocco. But on September 1 no Tunisian delegate appeared.
The e m b a r r a s s m e n t caused by I r a q ' s absence, a l r e a d y taken for granted,
w a s doubled. In a b u r s t of penance the m i n u t e s of t h e p r e v i o u s m e e t i n g d e a l ing with t h e c e n s u r e motion w e r e e r a s e d a n d excited telephone c a l l s w e r e
m a d e to Tunis t o i n f o r m Bourguiba of t h e change of h e a r t . But if a bit of
revenge w a s sweet, Bourguiba felt h e now had t h e U.A.R. on the run and a
f o r m a l apology, plus disavowal of t h e r e f u g e e s i n C a i r o w a s demanded. The
p r i c e w a s too high and a f t e r 2 4 h o u r s of g r e a t expectations, t h e conference
shuffled along without Tunisian participation.
I r a q ' s a b s e n c e w a s occasioned by d e e p e r c a u s e s , although the o s t e n s i b l e r e a s o n w a s L e a g u e r e j e c t i o n of the Baghdad G o v e r n m e n t ' s r e q u e s t to hold
t h e m e e t i n g i n t h e I r a q i c a p i t a l . I r a q i policy shows a continuity i n many fields
which t r a n s c e n d s questions of r e g i m e , and the new republic just a s t h e old
m o n a r c h y , c o n s i d e r s t h e A r a b League and everything that s t e m s f r o m i t a s
too m u c h under Egyptian domination. ( L e a g u e h e a d q u a r t e r s a r e in C a i r o , t h e
S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l h a s always been a n Egyptian, and two of t h e t h r e e A s s i s t a n t
S e c r e t a r i e s a r e Egyptian.) And in p r i v a t e d e l e g a t e s f r o m o t h e r c o u n t r i e s will
often a g r e e t o t h i s ; c e r t a i n l y complaints on t h i s s c o r e w e r e h e a r d i n C a s a blanca. A p r o p o s a l to r e v i s e t h e s t a t u t e s of the League, with the goal of m a k ing i t a body m o r e a c c e s i b l e to t h e s m a l l e r s t a t e s w a s a m p l y d i s c u s s e d , a s i t
h a s been b e f o r e , but i t h a s a l r e a d y r u n up a g a i n s t a good deal of quiet opposition.
In p r a c t i c a l t e r m s t h e a c c o m p l i s h m e n t s of the m e e t i n g w e r e no m o r e
than m o d e s t , although not to the extent
s u g g e s t e d by a W e s t e r n diplomatic
King Muhammad V e n t e r t a i n s d e l e g a t e s
o b s e r v e r who a s k e d d r i l y , ' W a s t h i s
of the A r a b League a t d i n n e r ; on h i s
c o n f e r e n c e r e a l l y n e c e s s a r y '?I1 The
r i g h t , S e c r e t a r y - G e n e r a l Hassouna.
answer to that i s y e s , f o r the r e a s o n s suggested above. But the resolutions
on Palestine, repeating those of y e s t e r y e a r and rejecting the so-called
Hammarskjold project for integrating Arab refugees i n the countries where
they a r e now i n refuge, w e r e uninspired. Thoughts of creating m o r e f o r m a l
organizations, such a s a Palestine government i n action and in residence
perhaps i n J e r u s a l e m , r a n up against the usual opposition f r o m Jordan and
Lebanon. Those on Algeria w e r e mild, s o much s o that i t was suspected that
the FLN was disappointed. But the League subsidy to the Algerian government was voted, even though between vote and payment t h e r e i s a long step.
And discussions on Algeria w e r e muted not only because the Algerians,
although grateful for m o r a l support, a r e convinced that i t i s t h e i r own efforts
which in the long run will be decisive, but because the shadow of De Gaulle's
impending public statement lay over the conference.
To some extent the conference was overshadowed by the t r e n d of
world events, too. The coming Kruschchev visit to the United States was a
subject of g r e a t i n t e r e s t , and one f e e l s that gradually the Arab world i s recognizing that i t cannot have the best of both sides in the cold war while decrying
it and trying to live, a s i t h a s f o r the past decade, in a vacuum a s f a r a s the
g r e a t power s y s t e m i s concerned. Any s o r t of detente among the superpowers
would have enormous r e p e r c u s s i o n s in A r a b politics, and a good many delegates had this possibility much on their minds. Finally, the example of the
l a r g e r powers certainly influenced the proposal of King Muhammad V, made
i n his welcoming a d d r e s s , that a summit meeting of Arab heads of state be
held in the n e a r future. If t h e r e a r e incompatibilities, take i t to the highest
level.
In s u c c e s s o r failure, however, the conference reflected prismatically
upon marginal events throughout the Arab world. The two voluntary outcasts,
Tunisia and Iraq, have been almost compelled to d r a w m o r e closely together,
in spite of their international political posture; s e v e r a l signs indicate that
each now feels the other a useful counterbalance i n the complications of Arab
politics, even though this i n itself m a r k s how thoroughly the personality of
Abdel N a s s e r still dominates the scene. One certainly cannot yet speak of a
"bloc" within the Arab world, but the r e c e n t rapprochement of Jordan, Saudi
Arabia, and the U.A.R. on a neo-Islamic, anti-Communist b a s i s was strengthened i n Casablanca. And the host country, Morocco, gained a s much o r m o r e
than any participant. The Moroccans would have much p r e f e r r e d , they said,
to have the Tunisians a t the session. In t h e i r absence Morocco showed itself
off a s a f o r c e for stability and good neighborliness not only i n North Africa
but throughout the Arab world, a position which the projected state visit of
Muhammad V to C a i r o this winter will do much to reinforce.
Nothing could s u m up better the complex of c r o s s r o a d s a t which the
A r a b League and i t s m e m b e r s find themselves than the King's words themselves:
"Morocco i s ready to a s s u m e a l l i t s responsibi'lities and play
within t h e A r a b League the r o l e which h a s befallen i t , f o r the
p r e s e r v a t i o n of peace i n the f r a m e w o r k of a regional institution
provided f o r by the C h a r t e r of the United Nations. It i s ready
t o c o - o p e r a t e i n t h e accomplishment of the m i s s i o n of the A r a b s .
"Morocco thinks that the t i m e h a s come to work toward making
t h e A r a b League capable of responding to t h e n e c e s s i t i e s a n d
p r o b l e m s of the hour. The A r a b League was c r e a t e d fifteen
y e a r s ago under p a r t i c u l a r international circurrlstances i n a
geographically l i m i t e d zone, and f o r specific objectives. Since
then the A r a b world h a s taken g r e a t s t e p s toward p r o g r e s s and
a r e n a i s s a n c e , and s e v e r a l s t a t e s i n i t s w e s t e r n wing have
been l i b e r a t e d . The world h a s undergone profound changes i n
technical, economic, and political s p h e r e s . Hence i t is n e c e s s a r y t o r e - e x a m i n e the r o l e of the League of A r a b S t a t e s i n the
light of t h e s e events."
Crown P r i n c e
Mulay Has s a n
r e a d s the
welcoming
address
of the
King of Morocco
a t the
opening - day
ceremonies
of the A r a b
League meeting.