Arab League
Arab League
Arab League
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Arabic
Official languages
Demonym(s) Arabs
Members Algeria
Bahrain
Comoros
Djibouti
Egypt
Iraq
Jordan
Kuwait
Lebanon
Libya
Mauritania
Morocco
Oman
Palestine
Qatar
Saudi Arabia
Somalia
Sudan
Syria
Tunisia
United Arab
Emirates
Yemen
Leaders
Establishment
• Alexandria Protocol 22 March 1945
• Joint Defence and Economic 18 June 1950
Co-operation Treaty
• Greater Arab Free Trade February 1997
Area (GAFTA)
Area
• Total area 13,132,327 km2 (5,070,420 sq mi)
(2nd)
Population
• 2022 estimate 462,940,089[1] (3rd)
• Density 27.17/km2 (70.4/sq mi)
GDP (nominal) 2022 estimate
• Total $3.4 trillion[2] (5th)
• Per capita $6,600
Website
www.leagueofarabstates.net
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History
Following adoption of the Alexandria Protocol in 1944, the Arab League was
founded on 22 March 1945.[9] The official headquarters of the League was the
Boustan Palace in Cairo.[10] It aimed to be a regional organisation of Arab states
with a focus to developing the economy, resolving disputes and coordinating
political aims.[9][better source needed] Other countries later joined the league. [11] Each country
was given one vote in the council. The first major action was the joint intervention,
allegedly on behalf of the majority Arab population being uprooted as the state
of Israel emerged in 1948 (and in response to popular protest in the Arab world),
but a major participant in this intervention, Transjordan, had agreed with the
Israelis to divide up the Arab Palestinian state proposed by the United
Nations General Assembly, and Egypt intervened primarily to prevent its rival
in Amman from accomplishing its objective.[12] It was followed by the creation of a
mutual defence treaty two years later. A common market was established in 1965.
[13]
The Arab League has achieved relatively low levels of cooperation throughout its
history. According to Michael Barnett and Etel Solingen, the design of the Arab
League reflects Arab leaders' individual concerns for regime survival: "the politics
of Arab nationalism and a shared identity led Arab states to embrace the rhetoric of
Arab unity in order to legitimize their regimes, and to fear Arab unity in practice
because it would impose greater restrictions on their sovereignty." [5] The Arab
League was "specifically designed to fail at producing the kind of greater
collaboration and integration that might have weakened political leaders at home." [5]
Geography
Main article: Geography of the Arab world
Membership
Main article: Member states of the Arab League
The Charter of the Arab League, also known as the Pact of the League of Arab
States, is the founding treaty of the Arab League. Adopted in 1945, it stipulates that
"the League of Arab States shall be composed of the independent Arab States that
have signed this Pact."[14]
Initially, in 1945, there were only six members. Today, the Arab League has 22
members, including three African countries among the largest by area
(Sudan, Algeria and Libya) and the largest country in Western Asia (Saudi Arabia).
There was a continual increase in membership during the second half of the 20th
century. As of 2023, there are 22 member states: