Dr. Khalid Al-Shafi
Europeans used to call the Ottoman Empire the sick man of Europe in the late nineteenth century, due to the weakness, flabbiness and feebleness that plagued the Ottoman Empire’s body and caused its rupture, fragmentation and division.
At that time, a Turkish diplomat wrote a letter to the Turkish foreign ministry in Istanbul saying, “European nations are preparing for a large banquet, and if we do not take swift action to be on the guest list, we will be on the menu”.
This is what actually happened. Turkey was defeated and its empire, which included several Arab and Islamic countries, was divided among the colonial powers, within the framework of the Sykes-Picot agreement.
It seems this scenario is repeating itself once more, but this time in the Arab world, as division has become the inevitable fate on the region. Signs of this division have manifested themselves in Iraq among the Sunnis, Shias and Kurds of the country.
Division has also reared its ugly head in Syria and Lebanon, pulling Muslims, Christians, Druze and Alawites apart. The future may hold more divisions in other Arab countries, including Sudan, Somalia and Yemen. I cannot exclude the Arab Maghreb from this, as it can explode any time.
The Arab world has become the embodiment of the ‘sick man’ in every sense of the term: of weakness, incompetence, humiliation, collapse, indifference and apathy under open international attack and declared wars among the Americans, Russians, Chinese, Turks, Iranians, Israelis and European countries such as France, Britain and others. Arabs extend a helping hand for the implementation of all aspects of this scheme because they feel powerless.
US-Polish political scientist and geostrategic expert Zbigniew Brzezinski wrote in his book, “Grand Chessboard” that this is all about the same old race to control “the cake of the Eurasian continent”. Moreover, the winner in this competition will control this continent and this will help him control the world.
It is clear that we are heading full sail towards division in some Arab countries. These countries will be divided into a group of smaller states along sectarian, tribal and ethnic lines.
Will the GCC countries be safe in this regard? Geopolitical studies show that GCC states will not be immune from the aforementioned risks and challenges, and only two or three countries overlooking the Arabian Gulf will remain while the others will be prone to merging with other, larger countries.
Europeans used to call the Ottoman Empire the sick man of Europe in the late nineteenth century, due to the weakness, flabbiness and feebleness that plagued the Ottoman Empire’s body and caused its rupture, fragmentation and division.
At that time, a Turkish diplomat wrote a letter to the Turkish foreign ministry in Istanbul saying, “European nations are preparing for a large banquet, and if we do not take swift action to be on the guest list, we will be on the menu”.
This is what actually happened. Turkey was defeated and its empire, which included several Arab and Islamic countries, was divided among the colonial powers, within the framework of the Sykes-Picot agreement.
It seems this scenario is repeating itself once more, but this time in the Arab world, as division has become the inevitable fate on the region. Signs of this division have manifested themselves in Iraq among the Sunnis, Shias and Kurds of the country.
Division has also reared its ugly head in Syria and Lebanon, pulling Muslims, Christians, Druze and Alawites apart. The future may hold more divisions in other Arab countries, including Sudan, Somalia and Yemen. I cannot exclude the Arab Maghreb from this, as it can explode any time.
The Arab world has become the embodiment of the ‘sick man’ in every sense of the term: of weakness, incompetence, humiliation, collapse, indifference and apathy under open international attack and declared wars among the Americans, Russians, Chinese, Turks, Iranians, Israelis and European countries such as France, Britain and others. Arabs extend a helping hand for the implementation of all aspects of this scheme because they feel powerless.
US-Polish political scientist and geostrategic expert Zbigniew Brzezinski wrote in his book, “Grand Chessboard” that this is all about the same old race to control “the cake of the Eurasian continent”. Moreover, the winner in this competition will control this continent and this will help him control the world.
It is clear that we are heading full sail towards division in some Arab countries. These countries will be divided into a group of smaller states along sectarian, tribal and ethnic lines.
Will the GCC countries be safe in this regard? Geopolitical studies show that GCC states will not be immune from the aforementioned risks and challenges, and only two or three countries overlooking the Arabian Gulf will remain while the others will be prone to merging with other, larger countries.
