Evening star., 1947-09-24
An Arab Break With the West

A spokesman for the London Bureau
of the Arab Office, the publicity organ for
the Arab League has issued an extraordi-
nary statement He asserts that at a
meeting of the league held at Bludan,
in Syria, more than year ago it was
agreed by the seven member states that
If the United Nations undertook to par
tition Palestine, those countries would
make complete economic and cultural
break" with Europe and the United States.
Expanding this statement, the spokesmen
suggested that this might mean revoca-
tion of oil concessions and Of lend no
rights granted to Western airlines. He
concluded by asserting that other secret
agreements had been made by the league
at the Bludan meeting which could not
now be disclosed.
This warning should be evaluated with
regard to both the present situation and
possible alternatives.
The eventuality considered by the
-Bludan conference has become actual to
the extent that U. N. Special Commits
sion of Inquiry has rendered a report
signed by majority of the commission
members recommending partition of Pal
estine between Jews and Arabs, and that
the British government has agreed to
accept the proposal, provided that the
United Nations is prepared to implement
its committees recommendation.
Obviously, two rather large "ifs" stand
in the way of the plans realization. 1t
first has to be accepted by the U. N and
then implen1ented in such way that it
can be genuinely put into effect. Both
stages give the seven states of the Arab
League, all of them members of the U. N.
except Trans-Jordan, ample opportunity
for what may be termed constitutional
opposition without resorting to threats of
drastic action which far transcend the
immediate issue involved.
Granted that Palestine excites the pas
sionS of an aspiring Arab nationalism, it
is questionable whether raising the threat
OF total breach between Arabism and
the Western World is wise from the Arab
point of view In the thorny issue of
Palestine, the Arabs undoubtedly have a
case which has impressed many sections
OF public opinion, alike in Europe and
America. But menaces of this extreme
character tend to chill sympathy and lead
to an examination of alternatives.
1t Is generally conceded, even by the
Arabs themselves, that what all their
countries need more than anything else is
effective modernization. That spells ex-
ternal aid in the shape of capital, expert
services, and the requirement of know
how" which only the West is able to pro-
vide. BY breaking with the West eco
nomically and culturally, the Arab lands
would cut themselves off from the normal
source of their regeneration. They might
then either relapse into isolation or per-
haps turn to partial substitute in the
shape of the Soviet Union. But Moscow
inevitably exports theological goods that
would be fatal to the ruling classes in all
the Arab lands today. An economic and
social revolution on the Communist model
would "Hquidate" them as surely as their
counterparts have been liquidated in the
Moslem portions of the Soviet Union.
The Arab rulers must surely be too
shrewd to envisage such a danger with
equanimity. Thus, there appears to be
certain unreality in the Arab Offices cur
rent pronouncements. But unreality is an
unsound basis for effective propaganda. A
threat is ef1cacious only when there is a
likelihood of its being translated into
action.