Lebanese independence celebrations, the suffering of the Palestinians of Gaza and the unmistakable shadow of Iran overwhelm the Arab pundits The Levant is in pandemonium, and nowhere more so than in Gaza. In Lebanon there is much retrospection and no time for introspection. Syria is being scrutinised as never before. And, all this is being analysed in the print media of the countries concerned. Nothing good is likely to happen until some politicians do something serious about forgetting about the past and focussing on the future. The outlines of a solution have long been clear. Iran is a key player and its allies in the Levant are eager to strengthen their traditional ties with Tehran. Iran obviously is emerging as a major power in the Levant, and that is how it is projected in the papers of the region. Even Tehran's foes are reluctant to offend it in any obvious way. The London-based pan-Arab daily Al-Hayat ran an interview with British Foreign Secretary David Milliband. "The window of opportunities to solve problems of the Middle East in 2009 is not that wide. Indeed, it's narrow. So, the decisions we will all take in the coming year will be important for they will bring opportunities and decisive options for a long time," he was quoted as saying in Al-Hayat. "We are not seeking to topple the Iranian regime. We want it to commit itself to the Non- Proliferation Treaty," he added. Of course, none of this will be easy. The political commentators of the Arab world confront a stark choice: seek common ground on the security pact between Iraq and the United States of America or dig opposing trenches. It appears that Arab pundits have opted for the latter. Differences between those for and those against the pact are real and deep. They reflect dangerous divisions within the Arab world. A most provocative opinion piece that attracted much attention was the critique of the question of political legitimacy in the Arab world by the Lebanese writer Radwan Al-Sayed. It is an issue uppermost in the Arab mind. And one that generates much controversy. "Ever since the commencement of the Cold War, and the proliferation of coup d'états in the key countries of the Arab world in the 1950s, there arose two types of political legitimacy. First, the traditional legitimacy based on patrimony as in monarchical systems and the revolutionary legitimacy based on the political will of the masses for change," Al-Sayed explains in perhaps the most distinguished and politically influential of the pan-Arab dailies Al-Hayat. The writer ended on a rather sombre note. "The question of legitimacy in the Arab world is not yet resolved. Indeed, it ended tragically. It left deep wounds in the societies that embraced it. It also left indelible marks on political systems, development paradigms, and human aspirations. First and foremost is the very notion of the state," Al-Sayed concluded. The tragedy of the longsuffering Palestinians of Gaza has moved many an Arab writer from the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian Ocean. The main issue that appeared to be the most galling as far as Arab commentators were concerned was the Israeli-imposed economic embargo that has caused untold hardship in Gaza. "The embargo is far more lethal than bombs," declared the London-based daily Al-Arab. It was a most appropriate sum-up of the deplorable situation in Gaza. The Lebanese daily As-Safir concurred. The paper mourned the state of stupefaction the Arab countries find themselves in, refusing to come to the rescue of their fellow Arabs incarcerated in Gaza. "Gaza's Palestinians are hostages, and the United Nations is worried, but Arabs are conspicuously silent," As-Safir lamented. The print media in the Arab Maghreb were more occupied with their own local concerns than with the burning questions of the Arab Mashreq. Libyan papers, for example, were preoccupied with the political fortunes of the eldest son of the Libyan leader Seif Al-Islam Gaddafi, head of the Gaddafi Foundation and heir apparent. Al-Zahf Al-Akhdar was full of praise. "The Libyan people, in mass demonstrations reiterated their faith in Seif Al-Islam.," the paper declared. Which brings the reader full circle back to the central question of political legitimacy in the Arab world. On an entirely different note, economic concerns consumed commentators throughout the Arab world. Writing in another pan-Arab daily, London-based Asharq Al-Awsat, Samir Atallah reflected on the lows Arab stock exchanges hit recently and the reactions of those who hold shares. "When an Arab shareholder makes profits from trading shares, he wants to take home his profits. And when he loses the value of his shares, he wants the state to compensate him for his losses." Last and not least, is the publicity surrounding the provocative statements by the right-hand man of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the Egyptian-born Ayman El-Zawahri. "The latest video tape released by Ayman El-Zawahri, who holds a doctorate in backwardness, is considered the most important of all his releases. The latest video, in which he called the United States President-elect Barack Obama 'the house nigger', is telling of the ethics of Al-Qaeda and their racist attitudes," argued Tarek Al-Hamid in the daily Asharq Al-Awsat. "The importance of this latest release is that it tells of the moral deterioration sweeping Al-Qaeda and the embarrassing situation its radical, terrorist leaders face after the inspiring victory achieved by Obama. Such terrorists were depending on many peoples' opposition to US President George W Bush's policies and performance," he concluded.
