Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

The Question of &#34National Independence&#34 | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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Who would have dared to arrest security officials in Lebanon had it not been an implementation of the Security Council”s resolution that formed an investigation committee into the assassination of Rafik Hariri, and appointed a German judge as its chief investigator? Would Syria have cooperated with that committee so openly if the team were Lebanese? Would Syria have withdrawn from Lebanon if it were not for the international resolutions that were lead by Washington and Paris?

What actually takes place in Lebanon makes up a fraction of what is really going on, showing that the world has become smaller and that we have to revise the term &#34national independence,&#34 or &#34national sovereignty.&#34 Two weeks ago, violent conflict erupted between two Syrian clans, one of which issued a statement that sought the help of the international community to intervene to protect the wellbeing of its people from the aggression of the other clan. A while ago, a disagreement broke out between the Kuwaiti government and one of the Kuwaiti trade unions, in which the latter threatened to file a complaint against the former to the International Court of Justice. Again, when the drafting of the constitution was delayed in Iraq, American president George W. Bush personally phoned Abdel Aziz Al Hakim to moderate his stance towards the issue of Federalism.

The peace agreements between Egypt and Israel have been concluded by American initiatives, the majority of which have been announced in meetings in the United States. Border disputes between Qatar and Bahrain; and disputes between Eritrea and Yemen have been resolved in the International Court of Justice. The Western Sahara conflict, that curbs ties between the countries of North Africa, is being dealt with by an international team led by a former US Secretary of State. The former Iraqi regime has been toppled by an Anglo-American alliance, and Kuwait was liberated from Saddam Hussein by an international coalition and international resolutions led by the U.S. Moreover, the Iranian nuclear issue is dealt with under decisive European-American monitoring, the Egyptian opposition calls for international observance of the presidential elections, and finally, due to international pressures, Qaddafi handed over what he had of non-conventional weapons and secret documents to the US.

Are all these events a blessing or a curse? Do they mark the end of the age of &#34national independence&#34 or the beginning of true globalization that may define new international principles and laws that will be binding on all states? Are we the winners or the losers? Such are some of the questions that need to be answered free of influence.