Those who do not subject themselves to rigorous self-review are reshaped by force.
By Afaf Aniba
Yesterday, I read carefully a lengthy article about the dilemma of integrating the Kurds into the new system in Syria, and about how extremely sensitive and complex this process is. I also followed developments in Yemen and conducted a brief inquiry, which led me to this important observation—one that concerns us, as we belong to a divided and underdeveloped world:
since 2019, reports by the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade Organization have pointed to the fragmentation of global supply chains, the rise of geopolitical blocs, and the instrumentalization of wars and crises to redraw geopolitical maps.
So where are our conditions heading, as we witness the determination of our adversaries to entrench the logic of brute force? Regimes that believe their self-perceived strength is sufficient to confront challenges and ambitions are delusional.
Why? Because what they imagine to be self-strength cannot be compared to the scientific and military advancement of the great powers and the Zionist enemy. The regimes in our Arab-Islamic world do not derive their legitimacy from a just system of governance; rather, power is seized by coercion, and the structural foundations of the state are not built on bases that ensure civilizational independence.
Added to this is a widespread sense of injustice affecting large segments of the population, who have not attained a decent standard of living as a result of unjust policies that did not bet on development, did not invest in their own people, and did not make intelligent use of their human and material capacities.
Thus, we lack the civilizational immunity that would allow us to pursue development, endure sacrifices, and coalesce to repel the ambitions of the great powers.
Accordingly, the regimes of the Arab-Islamic world must recognize the necessity of reviewing their record in governance, abandoning dogmatic rigidity, combating corrupt elements that mortgage the fate of peoples, and formulating a coherent strategy to break free from deadly dependency on enemies.
