The Arab World Flounders in the Face of the Coronavirus Crisis
Arab countries remain unable or unwilling to formulate a collective strategy
to help their poorest and most vulnerable survive coronavirus.
by Ramzy Baroud
April 08th, 2020
By Ramzy Baroud
While the Coronavirus continues to ravage almost every nation on earth, Arab
countries remain unable, or unwilling, to formulate a collective strategy to
help the poorest and most vulnerable Arabs survive the deadly virus and its
economic fallout.
Worse, amid growing international solidarity, we are yet to see a pan-Arab
initiative that aims to provide material support to countries and regions
that have been hit hardest by the COVID-19 disease.
The lack of collective Arab responsiveness is not unique as it mirrors
Europes own systematic failure, exhibiting solidarity when it is
financially convenient, and turning its back, sometimes at its own brethren,
when there are no economic incentives.
For example, when Greece defaulted on its debt to international donors in
2015, Germany, and other European Union countries, pounced on the
opportunity to dismantle the countrys major financial institutions and to
profit from Athens mounting miseries.
All the talk of European solidarity, fraternity and community floundered at
the altar of greed and unhindered profits.
That was not the first nor will it be the last occasion when the
opportunistic EU showed its true colors. In truth, Europe is united, not by
common history or unbreakable social bonds, but rather by the shared belief
that a united Europe is a stronger economic unit.
The same sordid scenario was recently repeated. As Italy began buckling down
under the unbearable burdens of the deadly Coronavirus, it immediately, and
naturally, sought the help of its European sister states. To no avail.
Despite its sizable debt, Italy is a major player in the economic arena of
Europe and, in fact, the world. Indeed, Italy is the worlds 8th largest
economy. But the countrys economy is now experiencing a rare freefall,
especially in the poorer regions of the South, where people are literally
going hungry.
The first country to come to Italys aid was neither France, nor,
unsurprisingly, Germany, but China, followed by Russia, then Cuba, and
others.
This palpable lack of solidarity among European countries has further
empowered the ethnocentric view already prevailing in Europe, and championed
by far-right movements like Italys League Party of Matteo Salvini. For
years, the latter has advocated against European integration.
It will take months, if not years, for the political fallout of the
Coronavirus to be fully assessed. But what is already clear is that
international and regional economic hubs are actively hedging their bets to
consolidate their geopolitical positions in the post-Coronavirus world.
Despite bashful American attempts to join the politically-motivated
international solidarity, US President Donald Trumps humble moves arrived
too little, too late. In fact, a sign of the times is that Chinese and
Russian aid is pouring in to help the United States, which now has the
worlds largest number of COVID-19 cases.
A compelling question, however, is where are the Arabs in all of this?
Italy and Spain, in particular, share historical and cultural bonds, and
broad political interests, with many Arab countries, interests that will
remain long after the Coronavirus is eradicated. Failing to register on the
radar of international solidarity with Italy and Spain will prove a
strategic miscalculation.
Israel, on the other hand, is activating its aid agency, IsraAID, which has
previously worked in Italy between 2016 and 2019, after a major earthquake
killed nearly 300 people and left behind massive infrastructural damage.
Israel uses humanitarian aid as a political and propaganda tool. Israeli
missions are often under-funded and short-lasting, but their impact is
greatly amplified by a powerful, official media machine that tries to
project Israel as a peace-maker, not a war-monger.
The truth is, some Arab governments do, in fact, provide badly needed funds
and aid to countries that are devastated by wars or natural disasters; alas,
these efforts are often disorganized and self-centered and frankly, not at
all motivated by true solidarity.
That said, the absence of Arab initiatives in the field of international
humanitarian solidarity dwarf in comparison to the lack of Arab solidarity
within the Arab world itself.
According to United Nation estimates, there are 101.4 million (people) in
the region who already live in poverty, according to official criteria, and
around 52 million undernourished.
A new policy brief issued on April 1 by the United Nations Economic and
Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), projects that an additional 8.3
million people are set to join the poor and undernourished masses throughout
the Arab world.
Aside from empty rhetoric and useless press releases, we are yet to witness
a major collective Arab initiative, championed by, for example, the Arab
League, to provide an Arab equivalent to the many economic stimulus plans
that have been set into motion in many other countries and regions around
the world.
Late March, United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, issued a
global ceasefire appeal, pleading to the world, especially to warring
Middle Eastern nations, to cease fire and to unite all efforts in one single
war against the Coronvirus.
Sadly, that call has so far gone unheeded. The war in Libya is escalating,
not subsiding; Israeli killing of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank
continues unabated; the flood of refugees out of Syria, Turkey, and other
Middle Eastern countries is yet to slow down.
Times of crisis, especially the kind that targets all of us regardless of
race, religion, or geography, often constitute a wake-up call, present an
opportunity for a new beginning, a new social contract so that we may
resurrect from the ashes of our collective pain to build a better world.
Let COVID-19 be that opportunity that will allow all nations, especially in
the Middle East, to take a stance against war, hunger and disease, to share
their wealth and to extend the hand of solidarity to Africa and our historic
allies throughout the world.
