The Gulf Crisis and New World Order — Page 311
The Gulf Crisis & The New World Order TIIE NEED OF ESTABLISHING AN ECONOMIC COMMONWEALTH Another important matter is that an Economic Commonwealth must be established for the whole of this region. The concept which was presented earlier by President Nasser of Egypt was of a political union. It is not necessary that political union may precede economic and other forms of union. When the concept of political union gets priority, then sometimes the cause of economic and other unions is severely damaged. It was for this reason that when establishing the E. E. C. , the sensible leaders of Europe first talked of economic union and then after attaining the objectives of economic cooperation piece meal, they started taking the steps towards political union. The concept of a Pan Arabism movement, advocated by President Gema( Nasser had actually been conceived much earlier by Jamal uddin Afghani and it was by adopting this philosophy of his that other movements flourished. Actually, this concept of Jamal-uddin Afghani that all Arabs should unite or rather that the whole Islamic world should become one country -is unacceptable to the Muslims in this form. The Holy Qu ran has made no mention of this concept that all Muslim countries should be under one government. In this form, even the attainment of total Arab unity seems impossible except that it be attained in various stages. Therefore, the most important step is that of economic union in which there should be a common plan of action and common programmes, and this whole region should in particular develop plans to become self sufficient in food and industry. Only then can some surety be given of the independence and freedom of these countries. DANGER FOR TIIE THIRD WORLD In this connection, another important thing worth mentioning is that the issue of economic independence relates not just to this region, but rather to all the nations of the Third world, for they face a great danger which should be understood fully right away, and against which adopting preventive counter measures is most essential. That danger is the danger of neo-imperialism. After the accord with the Soviet Union, the Eastern Communist world is abandoning this ideology and fast returning to the earlier times, and now the new rivalries will be with respect to imperialism. Once Russia has recovered from its current problems and has 311