DITCH THE ABRAHAM ACCORDS...:

It is ironic that a conference on democracy in the Arab world could not be held in the capital of any Arab country, and was instead held in the capital of a politically-unstable Balkan state that itself remains vulnerable to separatist and ethnic intrigues.

According to the Arab Council, its landmark conference "Democratic Transition in the Arab World: Roadmap" was held in the Bosnian city of Sarajevo because they "couldn't locate any Arab capital willing to host a conference on the future of democracy in the region" and were unable to find "a single Arab city where advocates for democracy from various Arab countries and the Arab diaspora could gather without concerns about visas, entry denials or government pressure."

The council chose Sarajevo "because of its significant symbolism as a city that endured war, conflicts and devastation, and transformed into a symbol of recovery, coexistence and cultural and religious diversity." That history, it said, offers "us, as Arab elites living in the midst of conflict, valuable lessons about post-conflict situations, [and] how to establish peace, reconciliation, transitional justice and nation-building."

The conference was essentially built on the premise of the decline of the Arab Spring revolutions that erupted 12 years ago, a process which saw the deterioration and regression of the affected counties - Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen and partly Libya - into authoritarianism and dictatorship.

As the efforts to "turn the page on despotism and corruption and establish true democracy, citizenship and good governance remain relatively ineffective in the face of regime violence and coordination between these regimes," as well the continuation of "support of regional and international powers to maintain the status quo and prevent the spread of a new wave of liberation," the conference aimed to bring democratic opposition forces together, "coordinate their efforts, and collaborate to understand these challenges and develop strategies and policies" to counter their relevant regimes.

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