What is actually ..?
The economic development of a big German publishing company deserved my fully attention recently. Among others they said “we want to expand to foreign countries. Next to India and China we are thinking of the panarabic region.”
Instantly I wondered what the panarabic region could be? Panarabism, if it ever existed, I would attribute to the time when there were attempts from Syrian as well as Egyptian party to let the Arabic States move closer together in terms of politics and economy.
A conversation with a good friend of mine, Ahmed, could share some light on the issue. Actually there is some Arabic coalition called al-Itisad al-sahafa al arabia, i.e. the association of Arabic media. That encompasses cross-regional TV-stations such as Al-Arabia or Al-Djazeera.
Addendum: Shortly I came across the book “Quo vadis Asia”. The chapter by Christian Lekon supports my impression. Lekon talks about a discredit of Panarabism, which occurred in course of the lost Jom-Kippur-war and the failure in the conclusion of contract for an Arabic centralized state. “What remained from the idea of Panarabism”, Lekon summarizes, “was a general discourse whereby the Arabic states should act solidly united with each other.”
