Eighty years ago today, the charter of the Arab League was signed, marking the birth of an organisation aimed at fostering cooperation among Arab nations, coordinating their foreign policies, and defending one another against external aggression, all while respecting each member state’s sovereignty and internal affairs.
Its mission was noble and lofty, yet some of its founding members, like Syria and Lebanon, were still under French mandate rule at the time and lacked national armies to defend themselves, let alone others.
The journey of the Arab League began with the signing of the Alexandria Protocol on October 7, 1944, which laid the groundwork for the organisation. Then-Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa al-Nahhas Pasha, alongside his Iraqi counterpart Nuri al-Said and Syria’s Saadallah al-Jabri, championed the initiative.
Co-opted by a king
Al-Nahhas’s endorsement of the project earned him widespread Arab popularity but also drew the ire of King Farouk, who viewed his opposition-led Wafd government with suspicion. Rather than opposing the idea, however, Farouk decided to co-opt it entirely, positioning himself as its patron.
His determination to oversee the Arab League’s birth was partly driven by a desire to assert his authority against British dominance in Egypt, particularly after the humiliating incident of 4 February 1942, when British Ambassador Miles Lampson surrounded Abidin Palace and forced Farouk to appoint a Wafd-led government or abdicate. This episode severely damaged Farouk’s reputation, and by embracing the Arab League, he sought to portray himself as a pan-Arab leader opposed to colonialism in all its forms.
To ensure the league’s success, Farouk needed the support of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Al Saud. The two met on 24 January 1945 in a flat area between Yanbu and the Radwa Mountains overlooking the Red Sea, transformed by the Saudi Royal Court into a small tent city in a matter of weeks.
To prevent Nahhas Pasha from obstructing the Egyptian-Saudi summit, Farouk’s advisors spread the word that the king was on a leisurely sea voyage. After securing King Abdulaziz’s approval for the Arab League, Farouk told his advisor Karim Thabet, “You may announce to the world, on my behalf, that the Arab League is now a reality.”
Inaugural summit
The Arab League charter was signed in March 1945, but it took the Arab heads of state until May 1946 to grace it with their signature at their first formal summit, held in Inshas, Egypt. The historic gathering saw the attendance of key Arab leaders, including Syrian President Shukri al-Quwatli and Lebanese President Bechara El Khoury.
Citing the difficulty of travel, the Saudi king sent his son and heir, Crown Prince Saud, as his representative. Imam Yahya of Yemen also delegated his son, Seif al-Islam Abdullah, to attend. Iraq’s King Faisal II, represented by his uncle and regent, Prince Abdul Ilah, initially sought to postpone the summit, but Farouk insisted it proceed with whoever was present.
The summit was not without its tensions. Saudi Crown Prince Saud and King Farouk greeted Jordan’s King Abdullah and his nephew, Prince Abdul Ilah, at the Bilbeis airport, symbolically asserting Egyptian and Saudi leadership over the nascent league.
