Talk analyzes effects of Arab nationalism
By Daily Bruin Staff
Nov. 13, 2006 9:00 p.m.
In a lecture titled “Back to the Future in the Middle
East,” Barry Rubin discussed what he sees as Middle Eastern
countries’ return to policies it had pursued decades ago.
Rubin, the director of the Global Research in International
Affairs Center in Herzliya, Israel, argued that the Middle East has
begun to use the policies of Arab nationalism and Pan-Arab
nationalism that were dominant in the 1950s, ’60s and
’70s.
This lecture was part of the Center for Near Eastern
Studies’ fall lecture series called “The New Middle
East: Five Years After 9/11,” which aims to explore the
recent issues with multiple professional points of view.
Leila Beckwith, professor emeritus of pediatrics at UCLA, helped
bring Rubin to speak at UCLA because she said she believes he has
an important viewpoint to contribute to the discussion on the
Middle East.
“He is an excellent analyst and extremely knowledgeable
about the Middle East,” she said.
Rubin has written more than 40 books and is the owner and editor
of the Middle East Review of International Affairs, a nonprofit
online publication that presents analysis and research on the
Middle East.
Rubin said that for the last 35 years there has been relative
stability in terms of internal conflict within the Arab world,
which contradicts the commonly held notion that the region has been
in upheaval.
The stability has been maintained, Rubin said, because the
regimes have learned how to stay in power by developing ideological
and institutional systems. The systems exert control over the
military to prevent public upheaval and spread of ideologies
through a controlled media.
“Middle Eastern regimes use institutional, ideological and
mental control,” Rubin said.
He said these systems are based on uniting the Arab world into a
single, united state and blaming the lack of change and reform on
external forces that must be defeated.
The final pillar of this ideology is that only after Arab states
are no longer in external conflict with countries such as Israel
and the United States can there be economic development, peace,
health care reform, education and the establishment of democracy.
But Rubin said he believes Arab nations keep these conflicts going
because they are necessary in order to keep the regimes in
power.
“This policy has proven remarkably successful at regime
maintenance and keeping governments in power,” Rubin said.
“The regimes have proven to be remarkably successful in
mobilizing mass support, but proven remarkably disastrous from the
point of view of foreign policy, economic and social
development.”
By always distracting its citizens with larger, unattainable
goals such as defeating the U.S. or Israel, they maintain control,
he said.
By maintaining problems with the U.S. and Israel, Arab regimes
are able to convince the populace that as long as those issues
exist, the regime cannot change and must maintain its control,
Rubin said.
“Use of an external enemy is one of the oldest tricks in
the political world,” Rubin said.
He said the regimes’ promise to unite the Arab world
failed, as did their plan to destroy Israel, yet Arab nationalism
continues to be enforced by focusing attention on international
conflicts.
Leaders’ focus on international issues allowed them to
ignore domestic reforms, and as a result the Middle East is
struggling economically and socially, Rubin said.
“I believe change will come. We have become impatient with
history because change can take a long time,” Rubin said.
“Long-term evolution will come.”
Beckwith said she believes Rubin made very important points
about issues facing the Middle East in recent years.
This fall, the Center for Near Eastern Studies invited several
experts to share their knowledge about growing issues in the Middle
East and the role of the U.S. after Sept. 11 in a public lecture
series.
The next public lecture is scheduled for Nov. 16 at 2:30 p.m. in
Bunche 10383.
The lecture will be called “The Mobilization of Political
Islam in Turkey (1980-2002): An Application and Revision of the
Political Process Model” and will be given by Banu Eligur
from Brandeis University.
