Arab League

Context: 

The Arab League recently voted to reinstate Syria’s membership after its suspension more than 10 years ago. 

Key Points:

• Syria was ousted from the Arab League in 2011 following President Bashar al-Assad’s brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protests, which led to the ongoing civil war in the country. 
• The conflict has since killed around half of a million people and displaced about 23 million.

About Arab League:

• The Arab League, formally known as the League of Arab States, was established in 1945 with initially just six nations. 
• Currently, it has 22 member states, who have pledged to cooperate on economic and military affairs, among other issues.
• Founding Members: Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Transjordan (now Jordan), Saudi Arabia and Yemen.
• Other Members: Libya, Sudan, Tunisia, Morocco, Kuwait, Algeria, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Mauritania, Somalia, the Palestine Liberation Organization, Djibouti and Comoros.
• Its broad mission is to improve coordination among its members on matters of common interest. 
• The league was chartered in response to concerns about postwar colonial divisions of territory as well as strong opposition to the emergence of a Jewish state on Palestinian territory
• According to the Council on Foreign Relations, an American think tank, “The League makes decisions on a majority basis, but there is no mechanism to compel members to comply with resolutions.”

News Source: Indian Express