The Middle East Paradox: Why Nations Remain Trapped in a Cycle of Helplessness?

The Middle East Paradox: Why Nations Remain Trapped in a Cycle of Helplessness?

RUBA AYYASH

How have the peoples of the region become cards in the great power conflicts? The Middle East, with many of its peoples and countries, is still living in a state of helplessness and weakness with a clear reliance on solutions. Either survival is seen through an American or Iranian alliance, or perhaps in other cases, a Russian or Chinese one. The hope of the “savior” represented by strong alliances militarily, politically, economically, and diplomatically is reduced to the solution, as if full reliance on a great ally would be the way to advance the country’s reality.

But the total dependence on the external ally is in essence a continuation of the logic of tutelage that has prevailed in the region since the collapse of the Ottoman and colonial empires. In this option, instead of building a truly sovereign state, the country becomes a “farm” or a “card” in a bigger game, and its fate becomes tied to the interests and temperament of the stronger player, not to the interests of its people.

This dependence deepens dependence and makes the state vulnerable to collapse at any moment. Alliances between states are self-evident in international relations and are very important for their strength, survival, expansion, and the preservation of their influence. However, full dependence and absolute dependence on the stronger other as a driving force gives it sovereignty and control over all decisions in peace, war, and investment, which is abnormal, and an unbalanced relationship that brings only destruction.

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So, what should have happened? It would have been more useful to trust the power of the state itself, and to focus on building it rather than pawning it. Starting with investing in human and material resources, fighting corruption, and ensuring economic and social justice, in a way that reduces the brain drain and strengthens social cohesion. It would have been more effective to develop the health, education, security, military and agricultural industries, and focus on production, to build an internal force capable of withstanding the challenges.

It was also important to build an internal capacity that would allow for a multi-pronged foreign policy, in which relations with the major powers would be managed according to changing interests rather than dependence on one party. This is better than accumulating money in the hands of a few who benefit from power, ignoring and impoverishing the majority, and better than a state in which there is no real accountability, and internal divisions that further complicate the scene.

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Therefore, there is a responsibility on the peoples to break this cycle, by beginning to reform themselves individually and collectively, and to focus on the collective scene rather than individual survival. The question for everyone, politicians and citizens: Do we want to build real, legal, humanitarian, institutional, and just states, capable of withstanding challenges, or do we want to continue the search for a better “guardianship” or a better “master”?

Reform is difficult, and its path is long and bitter, it requires collective awareness and will, it requires putting the public interest above the private, and it requires sacrifice. There are generations that will sacrifice a lot of luxury and dreams in order to build stronger states, which will not come out of scratch but from the bottom of hell.

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Staying in the orbit of the compass’s breakdown, the absence of real goals, and the absence of a collective agreement on the definition of the state, citizenship, patriotism, rights and responsibility, will not work, will not solve any problem, and will not put the first stone on the path of reform.

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RUBA AYYASH: Multimedia Journalist @ Sky News Arabia ; Master’s in Journalism, Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates

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