Day 1, Session 1 & 2:
The Arab League, taking place in 1961, started off in Topic I (Cold War and the Middle East) with a stern split and division among itself. Some members, such as Gamal Abdel Nasser, wanted to side with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; several wanted to ally with the United States of America, like Yasser Arafat; others desired foreign powers to leave the Middle East and allow these Arabian countries to govern themselves with no interference, such as Emir Jaber.
In an interview, Emir Jaber of Kuwait initially stated that he wanted absolute neutrality but Nasser mentioned a pertinent fact that opposes neutrality. Nasser expressed that “Arab countries have just gotten out of a period of colonization and it is extremely difficult for some countries to stand on their own.”
Upon hearing this, Jaber realized that becoming self-reliant on each other as fellow members of Arab League would be the best resolution and that “working together, cooperation, stabilizing, and fostering independence without the interference of the West or USSR” is the best course of action.
Lyndon B. Johnson, the current American president, agrees with Jaber that neutrality in the Middle East should be the most crucial topic to discuss. Johnson asserts that “the USA wants to respect the Middle East's sovereignty, but the only way to achieve that is by increasing Western influence to counterbalance the USSR.”
Johnson believes that communism in itself is inherently infringing the Middle Eastern Countries' sovereignty and that if the USSR does not leave the Middle East, then countries will go back to their period of being colonized and under imperialist rule.
Quite the reverse, Leonid Brezhnev, general secretary of USSR, and Gamal Abdel Nasser, president of Egypt, have constantly raised their voice against the United States of America and the United Kingdom. Brezhnev, in response to Johnson’s comment, stated that “communism is not infringing upon the sovereignty of Middle Eastern nations. It provides a sense of equality in all the nations.” To solve the issue on the consequences of the Cold War, both Nasser and Brezhnev have written a resolution to “help the Middle Eastern nations economically and through educational programs.”
As debates continue, the divides between the US and USSR continue to grow, pulling apart the Arab League into two groups.
The Arab League continues to press the issue of foreign involvement in the Middle Eastern as well as the conflict between Palestine and Israel.
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