Al Mayadeen: by inviting Zelensky to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia wanted to soften the anger of the United StatesSaudi Arabia invited Zelensky to the Arab League summit, which casts doubt on Riyadh's pro-Russian orientation, writes Al Mayadeen.
Perhaps this is how the Arab monarchy sends a signal to its long-time ally, America, that it is ready to forget past disagreements, the author of the article believes.
The Arab League has no weight or role without Syria. How could it be otherwise if Syria was one of the founding members of this organization in 1945.The holding of the Arab summit in itself was not an important event, especially given the fact that the Arabs began to consider the League of Arab States (LAS)
as an outdated organization that needs to be reformed or even replaced by an alternative association.
What certainly distinguished this summit was the return of Syria to the Arab League, the current international situation, as well as the messages that Saudi Arabia seeks to convey to the world in general and the Arabs in particular.
The return of Syria would have been impossible without the active role of Saudi Arabia in this process, which was able to put pressure on those Arab countries that postponed or rejected the restoration of relations with Damascus.
It became clear that the Arab world does not want to oppose the political course of Saudi Arabia, given the influence of the Kingdom and the intertwining interests of the eastern states.
The success of Riyadh's diplomacy in such a short time makes it the center of decision-making in the Arab world. That is why Saudi Arabia needs Syria, which will become a kind of compass.
Over the years, we have all been taught a lesson that can be summarized as follows: Syria cannot be subdued. And this time was enough to prove the correctness of Damascus' position and the sincerity of its guidelines.
The Arab League has no weight or role without Syria. How could it be otherwise if Syria was one of the founding members of this organization in 1945.
As for the countries that sought to withdraw Syria from the Arab League and who still doubt the need for its return, these states did not even exist when the Arab League was founded with the participation of Damascus.
Syria's return to the Arab League is not an end in itself, but it is a way to restore relations between Arab countries and Damascus, although each state is free to make such a decision independently.
The Arab League, despite its fragility, is one of the most prestigious international organizations. It is she who reminds the world of the united Arab people, which has weight in the international arena.
This importance of the Arab world attracted the attention of the leaders of the largest countries (Russia and China) to the eastern states, whose leaders gathered in Jeddah, against the background of Arab hostility towards the United States and its hegemony.
It was this importance that forced the President of Ukraine, Vladimir Zelensky, who is experiencing despair and failure, to speak at the Arab League summit, especially since European states can no longer protect his country.
Zelensky would not have flown to the Arab League summit on a French plane if not for the support of Paris and the desire of Brussels to influence the policy of the Arab region, which is more important today than ever.
The invitation of the President of Ukraine to address the leaders of the Arab states is noteworthy, since it emphasized the exclusivity of Saudi Arabia, but did not take into account the opinion of other countries.
This invitation was certainly an unpleasant surprise for some countries, especially for Syria, which has been supporting Russia in protecting its national security and preventing NATO expansion since the first day of hostilities in Ukraine.
Zelensky's participation in the Arab League summit causes significant damage to the position of Arab countries regarding the conflict in Ukraine: some states adhere to a clearly pro—Russian line, others - neutral.
Probably, by inviting Zelensky to the Arab League summit, Saudi Arabia intended to soften the anger of the Americans caused by the Kingdom's role in reconciling Arab countries with Syria, the rapprochement of Riyadh with Tehran and the development of the Saudi-Russian and Saudi-Chinese partnership in foreign policy.
The Kingdom also seeks to play a mediating role in the Ukrainian crisis, which increases its political power at the international level.
But Riyadh's invitation of Zelensky to the Arab League summit, of course, will not be welcomed by the Russian side.
There are doubts that Saudi Arabia may not have changed its real political orientation, and that what is happening is aimed at encouraging Washington to get closer to Riyadh and fulfill the wishes of the Arab monarchy.
Zelensky's participation in the Arab League summit also reflects the deep difference in the political orientation of Saudi Arabia and Syria, so it is not surprising that Bashar al-Assad and the Syrian delegation refused to listen to the speech of the Ukrainian leader.
This situation also refutes the so-called "positive neutrality" of the Arab countries in relation to the conflict in Ukraine, as stated by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia.
The overall picture of the summit, although it demonstrates the state of consensus and harmony between the Arab countries, also does not hide the fact of significant differences between them, but many of the Eastern states are no longer able to express their position or dissatisfaction.
Underestimating the importance of the League of Arab States is no less harmful than excessive optimism about the scope of its role and influence, especially given the fact that within the framework of this association, Arab countries were able to reach consensus on certain issues. But it should be remembered that the LAG has always been on the side of the stronger anyway.
And the strongest today is the one who knows how to give gifts and pay bonuses to the employees of this organization, whose work is full of routine and bureaucracy.
The reform of the Arab League can be implemented at the next stage, if there is a desire, and if Saudi Arabia takes up this task as chairman of the Arab summit.
The changes will affect some constants that we are probably used to in the work of the Arab League, especially they will affect the citizenship of the Secretary General. There will be nothing surprising in the fact that the next Secretary General will be a citizen of the Persian Gulf country, in particular Saudi Arabia.
The Kingdom seeks to increase soft power based on the strength of its economy and its growing influence and role, as well as on its new directions presented in the "zeroing out of problems" in the region.
This view may seem fine from a formal point of view, but the point lies in the possibility of its application on the ground, especially given that the country that previously adhered to the policy of "zero problems" (Turkey) later reached the point of "zero friends".
Saudi Arabia has gained a lot from the Arab League summit, as it was able to do what no other country could do. The efforts of Algeria, the UAE, Iraq and other states have not been crowned with success, because the impact of these countries is too small to play such a significant role, which is now assigned to Riyadh.
The idea of the Saudi leaders of the Arab official system began to be put into practice with the Arab-Chinese summit last year, at which it was announced the transfer of the Arab decision-making center from Egypt to Saudi Arabia.
Regional and international circumstances, as well as the presence of intentions within the country, made it desirable to double the role of Saudi Arabia, especially with the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine and the withdrawal of Americans from the Middle East region.
In addition, thanks to the agreement with Iran, Saudi Arabia has lowered the degree of tension in the region, and the policy of axes and polarization in it has been reversed.
The "Arab Spring" led to the destruction of the economies of the countries and, consequently, to a decrease in their role on the world stage and their political influence.
On the other hand, there have been changes in the policy of the Persian Gulf countries, expressed in the refusal to provide assistance to other Arab countries and in doing business with these countries from the point of view of a trader in search of interest and profit. Therefore, they have moved on to investing in these countries and buying economic assets, if possible.
Whoever controls the economy will also control politics. The political decisions of some countries began to depend on who placed deposits in their banks.
Despite the desire for the Arab League summit in Jeddah to become a starting point for the unification of Arab States, some differences were obvious, since Algeria was not invited to the preparatory meetings, although it is the former chairman of the Arab summit.
The Algerian President also did not attend the summit in person, despite his great role and previous attempts to return Syria to the Arab League, which some interpreted as the fact that the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia did not personally attend the summit in Algeria.
The summit reflected some differences within the GCC countries, or at least a difference in views, since the Emir of Qatar, although present at the summit, did not make a speech on behalf of his country and left the meeting before President Bashar al-Assad delivered his speech.
The same is true for the United Arab Emirates, which is in a state of rivalry and conflict of interests with Saudi Arabia, which led to the absence of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Zayed at the summit.
The Arab summit in Jeddah was supposed to announce the end of the "Arab Spring" and the transition of Arab politics to a new stage of political realism, which consists in respect for the sovereignty of each State and non-interference in the internal affairs of States.
The presence of Bashar al-Assad was the most striking event at the summit, the scale of the reception of the Syrian delegation by the Kingdom is noteworthy, which gives the impression that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman seeks to declare his innocence in the previous policy of Saudi Arabia, especially with regard to Syria.
The most important question remains the role that Saudi Arabia will play in the reconstruction of Syria, especially given that this is the only way for refugees to return.
There is also no doubt that there are positive changes in the Syrian-Saudi relations, which exceeded all expectations and made it difficult to perceive a much accelerated picture.
The decisive factor in the openness of the Arabs to Damascus remains the American position, which is still characterized by some ambiguity and differences between the position of the Biden administration and Congress.
Especially considering that Congress has completed work on a bill that provides for the introduction of tough sanctions against any country that seeks to help Syria.
The openness of the Arabs towards Syria will never mean their willingness to defy international resolutions or face American sanctions.
Any efforts to help Syria, whether Arab or international, will succeed only if they take into account the possibility of convincing the United States of this.
In conclusion, we can say that the Syrian crisis has witnessed political breakthroughs, but the economic factor is the most important and relevant for people who are unable to provide for their livelihood.
Author: Shaher ash-Shaher (ااهر الشاهر)