The Not-So-Revolutionary Arab League: Flexing GCC Muscle | Al Akhbar English
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/not-so-revolutionary-arab-league-flexing-gcc-muscle
After the suspension of Syria, members of Bahrain’s opposition reportedly tried to send a letter to the Arab League’s secretary general earlier this week calling for their plight to be added to the League’s agenda. The Arab League refused to receive the letter.
Also this week, King Abdullah of Jordan, who, like Bashar Assad, assumed power when his father died, said in the days following Syria’s suspension, “if I was in his [Assad’s] shoes, I would step down”. A bold statement by a ruler whose own country was subject to pro-democracy protests earlier this year.
Despite it not being near the Gulf, Jordan, an important ally to the US and Israel, was invited to join the Gulf Cooperation Council earlier this year. So too was Morocco, the Arab country furthest from the Gulf, but another US-backed Arab state headed by an iron-fisted monarch.
All this indicates that the GCC is consolidating its power and fast becoming a superpower the dominant force within the Arab League. This was clear when the Algerian foreign minister tried to question the legality of suspending Syria from the Arab League and was reportedly warned by his Qatari counterpart: “Stop defending Syria, because when your turn comes you may need us!”