Dignity is the key to Syria's determination not to concede an inch of its land to Israel. Dignity also explains the long resistance that forced the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanon this year. Arab societies have interacted with the Intifada much more forcefully than with any other event in the past decade. This is to be understood as a sharp reaction to a pervasive sense of humiliation caused by the way Israel and the US have treated the Palestinians and the Arabs at large. It is also dignity that explains the US's failure to bring down the Iraqi and Lebanese regimes.
Dignity is the byword for a deep-seated and still prevalent school of Arab political practice.
An equally old and re-emerging school advocates rationalism as the rallying platform of politics. While resistance is the key to dignity, achievement is the road to victory and success. It should not be difficult to foresee a compromise that combines traditional and modern views of politics. This week's Soapbox speaker is deputy director of the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies.