Arab League
Also called: League of Arab States · Topic: India's External Relations, 1947-1999: Non-alignment, Wars and Nuclear Policy · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Arab League, also called the League of Arab States, is a regional organisation of Arab countries. A regional organisation is a group of nearby states that work together on shared political and economic matters. Its headquarters is in Cairo, Egypt. It matters because it shows how a regional group can punish a member that breaks with the group's common stand.
Example
In 1979 Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel after the Camp David talks, which the US had brokered. It became the first Arab state to formally recognise Israel. Syria, Iraq and the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization) then pushed to have Egypt suspended from the Arab League. A suspension is a temporary removal from membership. In March 1979 a meeting of Arab League ministers recommended that members cut relations with Egypt and move the League's headquarters out of Cairo. Egypt said these decisions were not legally valid.
Don't confuse with
- Non-Aligned Movement (NAM): NAM was not tied to one region or one ethnic group. It was a worldwide group of states that stayed out of both Cold War military blocs, and its first summit was held in Belgrade in 1961. The Arab League is a regional body of Arab states only. Egypt, under Nasser, was a core leader of NAM.