Shared Arab cultural identity does not translate into political bloc action

Evidence

Another myth that is being reluctantly relinquished concerns the strength and effectiveness of pan-Arabism or, as it is sometimes expressed, of the Arab world. No one could dispute the passionate belief of the Arabs in their common cultural identity; few would question the hatred for the West that still dominates much of their public life. Yet neither the passion nor the hatred has provided a usable political force. Time and time again the pundits have warned that this or that action or policy would raise the whole Arab world in arms against us— but it did not happen. Even such events as the American bombing of Tripoli in 1986 and the Israeli invasion of Lebanon to expel the PLO in 1982 raised barely a ripple in Arab countries, where for the most part they were received with almost total indifference. The Gulf crisis, which was essentially an inter-Arab conflict into which outsiders were drawn, finally demonstrated the falsity of this belief, except perhaps for the most obdurate of pundits and the most amnesiac of audiences. The Arab world as a cultural, intellectual and social entity remains of the greatest importance. But the Arab world as a political bloc has no more reality than Latin America and much less than southeast Asia. — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1724 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Unavailable cultural styles for activism can block otherwise obvious alliances — Nina Eliasoph, Avoiding politics: how Americans…, 1495; Arab regimes sustain solidarity chiefly through ideological dialogue, not arms or trade — Youssef Cherif, Neo-pan-Arabism: a renewed contract of…, 32; Pan-Arab political culture predates and outlasts colonial and state boundaries — Youssef Cherif, Neo-pan-Arabism: a renewed contract of…, 32 (+10 more)

Broader Connections

• Pan-Arab political solidarity is a myth; shared culture produces no political force #corroborates (0.95) — Bernard Lewis, From Babel to Dragomans, 1724