Research studies

The Arab Unified Military and EU Reaction

Presented By :Essam Omaran Mohamed – Democratic Arab Center

Introduction

There have been a lot of serious changes occurred after Arab Spring Revolutions, that changes made the Egyptian president calls for Arab Unified Military. The Arab region are surrounded by diversifications of woes, especially after erupting the Arab spring revolutions in Tunis, Egypt, Libya, and Yemen. The conflicts in the region had been flared rapidly .However, in fears of infection were unveiled to Gulf countries so the Gulf leaders are strongly supporting the Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi’s calls to establish the Arab Unified Military in order to defend the region and its member states.

The financial resources are not represents any woes for the new legalized particularly eliminating the Brotherhood’ regime in Egypt, because that regime were the only thread for the Gulf countries’ political systems. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait are the main supporters not for foreign threads but for the ISIL Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and its leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi with his ambitious to become Amir al-Mu’minin, it means the leader of all Muslims over the world. It worth mentioned that The United States Department considered Al-Baghdadi as a Global Terrorist. This paper examines the real reasons beyond Egypt’s invitation to establish the Arab Unified Military and move into another significant point which is the EU react towards this legalized and its impact on the forces balance in the region.

The near history in the Arab region and its engorged conflicts in the Middle East will proof the vision of the Egypt’s president either it goes with current circumstance or it steps the region back. I am drawing the US Department react or overreact over this new legalized. Finally, I will address point of view of commentators and observers towards the continuing the project.

I will also present all challenges that may be found and how the Arab leader will take the suitable action in order to erase the woes that may disrupt it. Finally, I will end my paper by the conclusion and the recommendations and suggestions on which the Arab world step forward to establish the Arab Union as EU pattern.

The critical reasons beyond Egypt’s initiative for The Arab Unified Military:

The Arab parliament head, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Garawan explains the motivation of calls for joint Arab unified army.

He says that”. the Arab region faces a lot of problems with the situation in Yemen, Libya, Syria, Iraq, Somalia and Palestine”[1]. The Arab parliament head emphasizes the urgent action should be taken and the time becomes crucial for the intervention in Yemen’s conflicts, and the Arab leaders have to respond and heed to Hadi’s evocation as legitimate Yemen’s leader. The current episodes proofed the Arab parliament head view because the Saudi Arab is now leading coalition with Egypt to end Yemen’s conflicts between Hadi as Yemen president and Houthis and former president Saleh as opposition to current regime headed by Hadi.

In this sense, Egypt’s president is more stormiest than the Arab Parliament when he emphasized the utmost importance of countering the terrorist that spread in region. Egypt’s calls come from the dangerous situation in South Sinai from day to day. Nevertheless, Most Arab leaders particularly in Gulf area corroborated this legalized. It worth mentioned that Yemen’s crisis dominates the situation in the Arab region beside to the terrorism is widely spread in the Arab region especially in Egypt, Libya, Iraq and Yemen. In this context, the Huthis and former president Saleh tried several times to dominate and undercut the political pact by using the military force, as a result of the military action that taken by the Huthis in Yemen, the Decisiveness Storm started one month ago leaded by Saudi Arabia . The military action was pledging at bummed of Yemen legitimate leader Hadi[2]. Egypt’s leader Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi announced his initiative for creating the Arab unified military for the first time in a short statement to Egyptian people two months ago, in order to counter the terrorism which is rampant and surrounded all Arab countries. The fears of terrorism is a strong motivation to create the Arab unified army, particularly all commentators are speaking of participating a lot of Arab

states in Egypt’s initiative especially in those memorable dangerous complications beyond the political scenario in region.

There has been an announcement for formation of the Arab unified army since sixty five years old, but the fundamental has not been found on the ground to complete the Arab’s dream, now there is a new motivation of forming the unified army which is terrorism. The terrorism is the vital engine of Arab states specially Egypt to constitute Arab joint force to be a remedying of terrorism*’3‘*.

Arab Summit in Egypt 26-28 March, 2015 and Arab unified army on agenda.

Arab summit actually discussed the proposal of creation the Arab unified army and approved by Arab leaders. It is a very important point in the course of Arab confrontation of terrorism and a serious attempt to eliminate the Iranian incursion for aim of controlling of the Bab El- Mandeb as an International pathway in Indian ocean and Arab sea through its supporters and strong arm ”Houthis” in Yemen, in light of growing terrorist groups in the Middle East, and extended Daash terrorist organization as a successor of Kaada organization especially in Libya, Iraq and North Sinai.

On preparing to the Arab Summit in Sharm El-Sheik, Egypt, Arab foreign ministers met before hours of the launch of Arab summit for drawing the agenda. One of the main elements on the agenda is the formation of Arab Unified Army. It worth mentioned that the current events in Syria, Libya, the Palestinian issue were in the Arab summit agenda as well as confrontation of the organization of Daash[3].

Nevertheless, the Arab leaders discussed long hours in order to move in the framework of a unified strategy to draw and address how to deal with that nasty scourge which becomes destroying Arab region from Libya to Yemen, and aggravating complication on security policy in Arab region, but that recent developments during holding the summit which was related to Yemen’s crisis all of these, made the Arab leaders responded at the request of Al-Hadi Mansour, Yemen legitimate leader to

counter the military action under the process of Decisiveness Storm. There is another significant reason emerged behind the scene is that Gulf security issue and the fears of Iranian incursion in Gulf area in case of domination of the Houthis Yemen.

In related to the same point, the UN chief says that ”he has repeatedly condemned the attempts by the Houthis and former president Aly Abdullah Saleh to undermine politica agreements by military force”[4]. From this course of the condemn of Ban Ki-moon the Arab leaders considered indirectly their decision to attack the Houthis is covered and supported by the International Society .In other words, the UN chief hoped that at Arab League summit, the Arab leaders have to find out the suitable solution in order to set the regulations to end Yemen issue smoothly. To analyze Ban Ki-moon speech, he states that the crisis in Yemen may be eliminated and solved by negotiations. The negotiations are the accepted means on which the long conflict will be cut.

The Challenges:

  • The United States of America is the main challenge that may face the Arab world in the course of creating the project, US is controlling and dominating force in the world will not allow regulating and implementing of that suggestion for many reasons from its own perspective which is that in the light of Arab – Israel conflict particularly, the fervent desire of Israel for preventing to establish Palestine state. Israel is the fussed country over the world and Israel is the main partner of the USA in the region, US represents one of most important founding countries of UN and Security Council, which means that its influence on the decision makers in the supra- international organizations[5].
  • The creating the Arab unified military may face a new challenge even though, it will be backed by the Arab League because the Arab Defense and Economic Cooperation Treaty which was established sixty, five years ago (1950). In this context, this Treaty needs to verbalizing from all Arab member states .Moreover, forming such project needs a majority voting from all Arab member states that signed the treaty .The problem is that the Arab League faces a huge woe to gather all member states votes because of the existing conflicts among more Arab States such as, the conflict is existing between Egypt /Qatar, Saudi Arabia / Bashar Al-Asad’s regime, Sudan /South Sudan, Yemen /Saudi Arabia and

(7)

so on .

Some Arab countries opposed the Arab military force intervention in other countries such as the opposition of Qatar for in the intervention in Yemen to counter the terrorism by Saudi Arabia and its coalition. Nevertheless, the coordination among all Arab countries is very difficult currently as I said the Arab countries’ conflicts are the main reason. In this sense the Arab Defense was extremely established to counter the Israel’s threats to Arab countries particularly that have a common borders with Israel such as Egypt, Syria and Palestine, and reason for establishing this treaty was that supporting other countries in its political conflicts that face the regimes in such countries such as the intervention in Yemen in 1960s backed by Abdel Nasser’s regime in that time.

  • Killing twenty five the Egyptian Copts in Libya since three months, was the more important motivation to Egyptian President to call forming such joint Arab force to fight and counter the terrorism but this invitation may face the schism between the supporters and opponents such as Qatar[6]. It worth mentioned that the most Arab people are skeptic in the Arab League’s role particularly, it permitted in direct way during the Arab Spring Revolution the Western Military to intervene in some countries like happened in Libya to overthrow Qddafi regime.

Theoretically, deployment of terrorist groups from North Sinai in Egypt to almost areas in Libya, all Iraq territory, Syria and Yemen may cause a little difficult for the new Arab force to achieve a quick wins in the short term.

  • The collapse of the regular armies of some Arab countries after Arab Spring and sliding back into civil wars and also struggle for power such as Syria, Libya, Iraq and Yemen, even the regular Arab armies that secured from collapse and civil wars, either they are modest census and armament such as, Gulf countries, Tunisia and Lebanon or they immersed in a bitter wars anti terrorism as currently happening in North Sinai in Egypt.

Moreover a country like Algeria adheres its fixed principles in its foreign policy and based on the rejection of interference in the internal affairs of States and respect for the will of the people and pursue a peaceful and diplomatic solutions.

The European Union Reaction over the Arab Unified Military:

The European Union is a unique political and economic system over the world, it consists of 28 member states and making decision is made and taken by its supranational institutions and intergovernmental and by the majority voting rule. Moreover, its institutions play a main role in foreign policy for the EU and its member states, such as European Commission, European Parliament and the European Council to keep and secure the Europe’s interests and its member states as well as keeping forcefully the peace and security internationally as possible.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini on Thursday[add] 16 April, 2015” warned of regional risks from fighting in Yemen and said there could be no military solution, after Saudi warplanes bombed Shiite rebels and sparked Iranian warnings.”[7]

In this context, the UN Chief Secretary Ban Ki-Moon stressed after Yemen’s crisis on that the military action will not be a suitable solution, which means the EU policy is compatible with UN stanched. I can conclude that if the EU refuses the military interference in Yemen by Saudi Arabia coalition, it will not support the idea and Egypt’s initiative to establish the Arab Unified Military as a legalized project even though all Arab countries could get an approval from the UN and Security

Council . I see that the creating such project will endows and facilitate the leaders and founding countries to intervene in other countries affairs, this my point of view as a conclusion of EU’s refusing that military action in Yemen.

Nonetheless, there has been a lot of countries in the international society supported that action and the others expressed their worrying and annoying from the military action in Yemen. EU insights tend to the political solution and the negotiation among all wrestled parties in any conflicts in any region. In this context, I set a theoretical assumption that the EU and its supranational and intergovernmental institutions will not support such project.

“At this critical juncture all regional actors should act responsibly and constructively, to create as a matter of urgency the conditions for a return to negotiations,” Mogherini said[8].

In this sense, we can see a different situations to some countries who are members in the EU such as France and Germany as an example, in the following line I will describe the situation of both strong countries to focus on the contrast inside the continent towards Saudi Arabia coalition and its attacks in Yemen .It is doubtless .In other words, EU adopts the negotiation and political resolving as a suitable action in any stage for any conflict either this conflict is already existing or may happen between any states in the Arab region.

France supports the interference in Yemen, as I said there has been another contrast inside the EU continent, this discrepancy depends on the interests especially economic interests.

The question is that why did France prefer to adopt this approach? the answer is to related to the military agreement that had been signed between Egypt and France, by which France will supply Egypt with number of Rafale warplanes and naval frigate with amounting of 5.7$ billion[9]. Moreover, the agreement was signed in last February and financed by reach Arab Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and

the United Arab Emirates to keep power balance in the region and defend the Arab countries in Gulf area and to be a nucleus to the Egypt’s president initiative.

In official meeting between the foreign ministers of both countries France and Saudi Arabia, the French Laurent Fabius and the Saudi Abdulaziz bin Abdullah, the first sounded supporting the Saudi Arabia intervention in Yemen conflicts and supporting to its coalition[10].

“Concerning Yemen, we are here to demonstrate our support, especially political, to the Saudi authorities,” Fabius said[11]. Based on France situation on Yemen crisis, I can easily conclude that upon forming the Arab Unified Military, France is going to support such project because it absorbed a huge amount as a value or sale Rafale warplanes.

Germany tends to support the interference in Yemen to counter Al- Houthis but at the same time Germany prefers the negotiation and political suggestions to resolve the conflict in Yemen as a peaceful

solution[12].

Germany foreign minister tries to justify the military action by Saudi Arabia and its campaign in Yemen .In other words, if Saudi Arabia is beyond the Arab Unified Military project and it is, Germany will not ban forming that legalized idea because of its economic interests with Arab Gulf states particularly the three reaches KSA, Kuwait and UAE.

Conclusion:

The United States is well aware that the arrival of Marshal AbdulFattah Al- Sisi for the presidency means the impossibility of return of terrorist Brotherhood, which was spent by the billions for the implementation of the Greater Middle East scheme and the division of Egypt, because the Americans are aware that the only faction capable of destabilizing Egypt is a terrorist group, and that the rise of AbdulaFattah Al-Sisi will not allow to the Brotherhood to come back again based on his perspective to achieve a genuine Egyptian development at all levels and areas. It means that the United States of America will depend on its influence either economically or politically to prevent the Arab world to form the Arab Unified Military.

There is another critical reason on which the USA will try making a diluting to the idea for not to be existing is that the Arab Israel conflict particularly Palestine. I see that Al-Sisi tries to be another model of succor Abdel Nasser who intervened in Yemen’s war during the sixth decade of the last century.

He also supported a lot of revolutions in Africa without any justifying for his people, Al-sisi has to pay more attention for his calls for creating such force because it will absorb the Egyptian human resource because the new Arab force will depend on more 70 per cent of Egyptian solder and officers.

In other words, this dream will collide in Security Council and the UN and USA as a counter parts by inspiration by USA.

Recommendations:

  • I recommend that the Arab leaders have to overcome any conflicts by negotiation and political resolving or using the economic sanction instead of military action.
  • The reach Arab Gulf states have to invest the exceeding reserve in the poorest Arab areas to improve the lifestyle of Arab people instead of investing in wars or weapons.
  • Forming such force will assist destabilizing Egyptian Armed Force as the only force among Arab countries that secured from Arab Spring revolution, it means that Israel is still the only party will benefit from this distracting of Egypt’s force.

Bibliographies:

0) http://english.ahram.org.eg/WriterArticles/NewsContentP/1/126295/Egypt/Relive- opening-session-of-Arab-summit-Sisi-calls-f.aspx

[7] http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/173220

(10) http://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/173220

(n) http://www.voanews.com/content/reu-source-france-egypt-agree-rafale-military- hardware-deal/2640691.html

supervisor – Dr. Jan Volkel – Euro Med Studies

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