ShareDo you think anyone in the Arab world is still following Arab summits? I did a survey among my friends, and they replied, "What summits?" They said they loved the old summits - although they did not accomplish unity or solutions for the Middle East - because they were a little bit of fun, thanks to Col Gaddafi, bless his soul, the deceased Libyan leader. Because at every summit he came up with something new to amuse and abuse nations. I remember while attending a summit in Jordan, all of a sudden there was a huge commotion in the halls because Gaddafi left in the middle of the summit to go find a falafel sandwich in Amman.
Of course he caused panic as security personnel scrambled to follow him, and it was hilarious - a huge joke. Gaddafi used to amuse the crowds with his funny statements and mockery about leaders, the summit, the Americans, etc, etc. Also, the way he dressed was very fashionable and unique. Nowadays, the summits are very formal and dull. No shouting, no disputes. Maybe they have disputes under the table or behind closed doors, but not in front of the media for us. So we don't get rich material to chew on.
The latest summit in Jordan was jinxed and disastrous, in my opinion. First of all, I blame Jordanian TV for misnaming our respected Amir. The broadcaster did not do so intentionally, but she should have done her homework and known the name of the guests who were coming. The rest of the minor incidents which took place out of hand led to lots of comments, posts, sharing of WhatsApp videos and photos across the Arab world.
Bottom-line, I care for results. There were no serious solutions. It was the usual brotherly and friendly hugging and kissing and then goodbye without any solutions to the many problems we are facing in Iraq, Syria, Palestine, Libya, etc.
By Badrya Darwish
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