Clemente Rapone

This paper aims to uncover what has become of the age-defining socio-political ideology of Arab Nationalism. What was once the rallying call of leaders around the Arab world seems to have changed its nature in becoming disassociated from political discourse. Countries once identified with the generalising epithet ‘Arab’ have now gone their separate ways; casting doubt over the existence of any form of Arab unity, in a world where societies are increasingly turning inward rather than opening up to their neighbours. The events of the Arab Spring however, show that some form of linkage between the four corners of the Arab world persists to this day. It is therefore legitimate to wonder if a unifying sentiment of Arab identity still exists, whether it constitutes a form of nationalism and in any case, whether it has political relevance. If on the contrary such a sentiment does not exist, the issue of what defines identity across the Arab world today arises. Answering these questions is the purpose of this paper.