Arab League is a regional organization formed in Cairo on 22nd march 1945 following the adoption of Alexandria protocol in 1944. Officially known as the League of the Arab world it started with six members and now consists of 22 member states located in Africa and West Asia apart from five observer states including India. The league was formed to design programs and promote interests of the Arab world.

Aims Of Arab League

1. The League’s main goal is to “draw closer the relations between member states and coordinate collaboration between them, to safeguard their independence and sovereignty, and to consider in a general way the affairs and interests of the Arab countries.
2. To strengthen and coordinate the political, cultural, economic, and social programs of its members and to mediate disputes among them or between them and third parties.
3. The signing on April 13, 1950, of an agreement on joint defence and economic cooperation, also committed the signatories to coordination of military defence measures.

Role Of Arab League In Safeguarding The Interests Of The Arab Nation In Political Sphere

1. At the Cairo Summit of 1964, the Arab League initiated the creation of an organisation representing the Palestinian people. The first Palestinian National Council convened in East Jerusalem on 29 May 1964.
2. The Palestinian Liberation Organization was founded during this meeting on 2 June 1964. Palestine was shortly admitted into the Arab League, represented by the PLO. Today, the State of Palestine is a full member of the Arab League.
3. At the Beirut Summit on 28 March 2002, the league adopted the Arab Peace Initiative, a Saudi-inspired peace plan for the Arab–Israeli conflict.
4. The Peace Initiative was again endorsed in 2007 in the Riyadh Summit. In July 2007, the Arab League sent a mission, consisting of the Jordanian and Egyptian foreign ministers, to Israel to promote the initiative.
5. On 15 April 2018, in response to the Turkish invasion of northern Syria aimed at ousting U.S.-backed Syrian Kurds from the enclave of Afrin, the Arab League passed a resolution calling on Turkish forces to withdraw from Afrin.
6. In September 2019, the Arab League condemned Benjamin Netanyahu’s plans to annex the eastern portion of the occupied West Bank known as the Jordan Valley.
7. The Arab League met in Cairo on 12 October 2019 to discuss the Turkish offensive into northeastern Syria. Upon meeting, its member states voted to condemn the Turkish offensive, dubbing it both an ‘invasion’ and an ‘aggression’ against an Arab state.

In Economic Sphere

1. One of the major economic achievements of the league was the building of an Arab gas pipeline that will transport Egyptian and Iraqi gas to Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey.
2. Through an agreement of The economic council of Arab league, the council of Arab Economic Unity was founded in 1964. The council objective was to Organize and consolidate economic relations among the States of the Arab League on bases that are consistent with the natural and historical links among them.
3. The “Greater Arab Free Trade Area” (GAFTA) is a pan-Arab free trade zone that came into existence in 1997. The members participate in 96% of the total internal Arab trade, and 95% with the rest of the world.
4. Besides this The Arab League has been a little more effective at lower levels, such as shaping school curricula, preserving manuscripts and translating modern technical terminology. It has helped to create a regional telecommunications union.

Limitations Of Arab League

The Arab League’s effectiveness has been severely hampered by divisions among member states since its inception.

1. During the Cold War, some members were Soviet-oriented while others fell within the Western camp. There has been rivalry over leadership, notably between Egypt and Iraq.
2. Then there have been the hostilities between traditional monarchies – such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Morocco – and new republics, or “revolutionary” states such as Egypt Syria Iraq, and Libya.
3. The league was severely tested by the US-led attack on Saddam Hussein’s Iraq, with some backing the war, some opposing it and others standing on the sidelines.
4. Because decisions made by the Arab League are binding only on members who voted for them, these divisions have in effect crippled the league in the sphere of “high politics”.
5. Economical achievements within members have been low in the league’s history, other smaller Arab Organizations have achieved more than the league has, such as the GCC.
6. The league failed to coordinate foreign, defence or economic policies, rendering core league documents such as the Treaty of Joint Defence and Economic Cooperation and key bodies such as the Joint Defence Council completely ineffectual.

More recently the League has shown a greater sense of purpose since the “Arab spring” uprisings in early 2011. It backed UN action against Muammar Gaddafi’s forces in Libya. It also suspended Syria over its repressions of nationwide protests. In light of rising terrorism and extremism in the region, the need of the hour is to put aside all differences and coordinate with each other to create an environment free of extremism and ensure pan Arab unity in real sense.