Arab Future Conference 2019
A Call to the Nation
We, the Arab citizens,
With the firm conviction that the catastrophic conditions our nation endures today represent the death throes of a decaying old reality, and simultaneously, the birth pangs of a promising new Arab reality — a reality paved by the sacrifices of countless generations of martyrs, sacrifices we refuse to let go in vain.
Believing that the suffering of our people across the Arab world — particularly in Syria, Yemen, Palestine, Libya, Sudan, Somalia, and Egypt — from war, occupation, oppression, poverty, famine, and disease, is the result of the organized crimes, shameful failures, and rapid collapse of the corrupt and despotic Arab political order.
Recognizing that this political system is already dead in the hearts and minds of the people, and no amount of violence or manipulation can impose its continuity against the natural laws of societal evolution.
Inspired by the peaceful democratic revolutionary wave launched by the Arab Spring uprisings of 2011, and confident that successive waves of this movement will eventually dismantle the fortresses of despotism, no matter how long it takes.
As an expression of collective awareness,
Out of absolute confidence in our people’s creative abilities,
And to contribute to accelerating the pace of the liberation project,
Faced with the spontaneous expansion of popular protests, which will continue to grow and cannot achieve their full potential without a clear vision for viable alternatives,
We issue this Call to the Nation, inviting all Arabs to unite around a shared project that ensures our people’s liberation from the nightmare they live in, guarantees the right of future generations to exist, live with dignity, and claim their place among the nations shaping the future.
This goal requires:
- Mobilizing all political, social, and intellectual forces to peacefully and swiftly dismantle the current corrupt and despotic Arab political system — a system already condemned to extinction by the masses, who continue to chant across the Arab world: “The people want to overthrow the regime.”
- Building a political system founded on the rule of law and institutions, where power is a societal responsibility entrusted and withdrawn by a free people, not a war trophy seized by individuals or groups serving corrupt and violent minorities. True democracy cannot exist if it is hijacked at its inception by corrupt political parties and media outlets controlled by illicit money. A corrupt democracy poses no less danger than a despotic regime, as both are tools used by corrupt elites to dominate their people.
- Embracing citizenship as the primary value governing social relations and the fundamental criterion for evaluating any system, institution, or individual. Any violation of citizens’ rights by the political system is a national betrayal, even more severe than collaborating with foreign aggressors. Therefore, nationalism cannot be used as a shield to suppress citizenship.
- Celebrating ethnic, religious, intellectual, and political diversity as not just a natural state to be acknowledged, but as a source of strength and richness that must be recognized and valued across all domains and through all means.
Achieving these objectives will mark our transition from a state of subjects living under a corrupt despotic regime to a state of citizens in a sovereign and just society. This transformation will empower our people to own their wealth, make independent decisions, and ensure equality, participation in governance, and the protection of rights — not just political rights, but also economic and social rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and national constitutions that align with it.
Only such a society can fulfill the dreams of our ancestors for Arab unity. Enslaved peoples cannot impose unity on dictatorships, as each despot prioritizes control over their personal dominion. At best, these dictatorships produce fragile and ineffective entities such as the Arab League, often described as a lifeless institution, or other regional assemblies that serve the whims of individual despots rather than the collective interests of their people.
The second goal of this awakening is the creation of an Arab Union (akin to the European Union) — the only framework capable of guaranteeing Arab national security and enforcing the rights of the Palestinian people.
- The peoples of this Union are defined as those who speak Arabic, whose identity is shaped by Arab-Islamic culture, who share a common destiny, and who have been held back by artificial borders imposed by force.
- The envisioned Union will consist of joint political institutions managing a shared space for over 400 million Arabs, guaranteeing freedom of movement, work, property, residence, and participation in the elections of shared Arab institutions, including a directly elected Arab Parliament.
- It will be a union joined progressively by nations liberated from despotic regimes while preserving their independence and unique identities.
It is essential to emphasize that while our people share a common core of language, religion, culture, and history, they also have diverse and rich branches shaped by unique historical and geographical experiences. For instance, the Maghreb nations have every right to embrace their Arab-Amazigh-Mediterranean-African identity. Similarly, every Arab nation has the right — and indeed the duty — to nurture and celebrate its pluralistic identity.
Such a union will produce a nation of citizens, without majorities or minorities, but rather diverse and equally valuable components essential for collective survival and growth.
It is evident that the foundation for political and economic revolutions must be an ethical revolution. Despotism has fostered and exploited destructive behaviors such as injustice, violence, opportunism, hypocrisy, and corruption. Therefore, a nation of citizens can only become a reality in a society governed by integrity, equality, transparency, and justice. Likewise, an Arab Union of free nations cannot emerge without solidarity, brotherhood, and tolerance.
Separating political revolution from ethical and intellectual reform is like constructing a skyscraper on a swamp without foundations.
History shows an ongoing struggle to transition from enslaved peoples and warring tribes to nations of citizens and a unified Arab nation in the making.
To be part of this historic movement — to be part of the solution rather than the problem — we call upon Arab citizens, especially in these challenging and sensitive times, to embrace the vision of a nation of citizens and a union of free Arab nations.
We invite everyone to:
- Endorse this document,
- Enrich it with ideas and proposals,
- Disseminate it widely,
- Work towards implementing its vision at every level,
All with unwavering trust in the future, determination to rise after every setback, and solidarity across the vast Arab homeland.
Let us arm ourselves with patience, resilience, and a shared commitment to break free from the cycle of failure that has plagued us for over a century, so that we may finally secure our rightful place among the nations shaping history.
This declaration was adopted at the “Arab Future: From a Nation of Subjects to a Nation of Citizens” Conference, held by the Arab Council in Istanbul on March 16, 2019, with the participation of 170 Arab figures. It was signed by attendees at the conclusion of the conference.
