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Saudi Political Scientist: Refusal to Compromise Characterizes Arab Political Culture

(MEMRI) On April 13, 2022, in the London-based Saudi daily Asharq Al-Awsat, political scientist Tawfiq Al-Saif stated that a characteristic of Arab political culture is a refusal to compromise on issues, especially when it comes to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Even when the majority of people are willing to compromise, they eventually succumb to the pressure of a dogmatic minority, and this prevents finding solutions for the problems of the region. "Some societies are highly adept at bargaining and achieving what they want through negotiations, while others are opposed in principle to bargaining and to compromise, and often regard those who advocate [compromise] as negligent or even as traitors." "On national issues like Palestine, for instance, and on political issues, people...flatly refuse to negotiate. In my opinion, that is one of the factors that has prevented finding solutions for the serious problems faced by the Arab countries."
2022-06-09 00:00:00
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