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Survival of the Adaptable Three months have passed since Iraq became a sovereign state and, technically at least, the occupation ended. Since then, security has not improved. While the US is pushing for deeper domestic reform throughout the region, the pressure within our own societies is far greater. Indeed, only through comprehensive reform will we overcome the grave difficulties hampering our growth. It’s a matter of survival of those who are able – and willing – to adapt to change. Change topped the agenda at the last Arab Summit. Likewise, in a keynote speech at an AmCham luncheon delivered the day after the Iraq handover, Amre Moussa said that he was committed to restructuring the Arab League, and that this reflected the wish of Arab leaders who elected him secretary-general on a reform agenda in 2001. He also emphasized that reform is the wish of the Arab people and furthermore, in an interview with the Al-Ahram Weekly, he said that “it is not optional.” As members of Egypt’s business community, we support Mr. Moussa, but the realities on the ground suggest that change remains a subject of wide-ranging dispute. Members of the Arab League have proved incapable of presenting a united front to the people they represent, much less to the world at large, regarding a timeline for reform. At a recent World Economic Forum in Jordan, a group of mainly Arab businessmen were asked whether they thought their governments were sincere in claiming to want reform at all. Ninety-four percent answered no. Nevertheless, the need for action is visible wherever we look, whether to our congested streets lined with informal businesses and the unemployed, or to the backlog of our courts, or the overstaffed, inefficient functioning of our bureaucracy. In his speech at the Arab Summit, Mr. Moussa spoke for the citizens of many Arab nations when he said, “The nation that is living in frustration and fury is hoping for a collective Arab stance that confronts the challenges it is faced with, makes use of the will of the people and opens the gate to democracy and economic welfare.” The political future of every Arab League country relies to a greater or lesser extent on the ability to hear and act upon these words. Aside from the prolonged conflicts in Palestine and Iraq, Saudi Arabia has recently become the scene of escalating violence. The issue of security cannot be ignored as Egypt is well aware, given the damaging shocks of terrorism and war that our economy has absorbed in the past. Real change is peaceful, not disruptive, because it comes about through consensus. Although consensus is apparently lacking in the Arab League, if we look at Egypt the will to act exists, as the new ministerial appointments confirm. It is my belief that with the proper initiatives, people will respond since the quality of their lives hangs in the balance. Arab leaders may or may not decide to act collectively to encourage regional reform. The US may or may not choose intelligent means for encouraging reform from without. But we can still decide to start the process in earnest in our own country, enlisting the help of every agency, governmental and non-governmental alike. The Alexandria Declaration, presented several months ago, is a thorough list of the kinds of reform we need. The question remains, when will we commit to a timetable to achieve them? Only then will Egypt’s potential begin to be realized, and until then, frustration will continue to build. In his AmCham speech, Mr. Moussa voiced the opinion of many Arabs in saying that so long as foreign troops remain in Iraq, the violence will continue. He also emphasized that only the Iraqi people could determine the fate of their country. This holds true for all countries, as has become abundantly clear in the wake of America’s attempts to export a particular vision of democracy. People are the source of change, and “change,” as the Greek philosopher Heraclitis famously said, “is the only constant.” Societies will always evolve, no matter what their governments do; everyone must adapt in order to survive in a changing world. When people are provided with constructive channels for development, with education, jobs and participatory roles in civil society and government, the change can only be positive. When they are deprived of these means, everyone loses. Taher S. Helmy |
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