The ARAB FUTURE (AL MUSTAQBAL AL ARABI), No. 568, June 2026

Studies

⬜ Disaster Risk Reduction Policies in Arab Countries: Challenges of
Integration and Pathways to Coherence        Mohamed Marzouq  7

https://doi.org/10.65506/260601

This study addresses a central issue related to identifying the major challenges that complicate or hinder the achievement of integration and coherence between disaster risk reduction policies, sustainable development, and climate change adaptation, and to identify the means capable of achieving this integration and coherence. The study utilizes the descriptive-analytical method based on a range of specialized sources, including national, regional, and international ones, comprising books, studies, reports, databases, plans, and decisions. It defines the context of the interconnection of international frameworks for disaster risk reduction, discusses the challenges of integrating these policies in the Arab region, and then proposes a set of measures that enable the realization of coherent disaster risk reduction policies in the Arab region.

Keywords: Policy coherence, Disaster risk reduction, Sustainable development, Climate change, Arab countries.

⬜ Strategic Defense between Classical and Contemporary: The Gaza
War 2023 in Light of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu       Saeed Ziad

and Obaida Allah al-Hashimi         23

https://doi.org/10.65506/260602

This study examines the adaptability of the popular strategic defense model (people’s war) to different environments by comparing the resilience of the Palestinian resistance during the 2023 «Al-Aqsa Flood» battle with the resilience of the Vietnamese revolutionaries in the 1954 Battle of Dien Bien Phu. Despite the structural differences between the two experiences—in terms of geography, the nature of the occupation, and levels of support—this paper does not assume complete similarity, but rather seeks an interpretive reading drawing inspiration from the popular defense approach in a different era. The study proceeds from the premise that the essence of strategic defense is constant over time, even if its means change, and that the weaker party can tip the balance of power through a flexible and popularly supported defensive strategy.

Keywords: Al-Aqsa Flood, Battle of Dien Bien Phu, People’s War, Popular Strategic Defense, Vietnam, Contemporary Warfare.

⬜ Israeli Normalization with the Arab Public: An Analysis of the
«Israel Speaks Arabic» Discourse

Hadeer Abd El-Maksoud Mahmoud Ibrahim            43

https://doi.org/10.65506/260603

Since 2020, Israeli-Arab relations have witnessed significant development with the signing of the Abraham Accords, which focused on popular normalization, not merely official peace. This was accompanied by a shift in the Israeli discourse directed toward the Arab public, especially on social media, most notably the «Israel Speaks Arabic» page belonging to the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Facebook. This study analyzes the content of that page and the way Israel employs diverse propaganda strategies focusing on values of coexistence and tolerance, aiming to integrate itself into the Arab region, present itself as a supporter and potential partner, and portray its army in a humane light as a defender in an unjustifiably hostile environment. This stands in contrast to Arab popular sentiment toward this discourse, which fluctuates between support and opposition.

Keywords: Arab-Israeli Normalization, The Abraham Accords, Israeli Media Discourse, Arab Public Stance, Public Opinion Manufacturing.

⬜ Islam and Politics: A Reading in the Dialectic of the Call
and the State               Mustafa Dahmani     64

https://doi.org/10.65506/260604

This study attempts to approach the topics of religion, state, and politics, investigating the relationship between Islam and politics, the entanglement of religion and state, and the overlap between Islam and the foundations of governance—issues that have occupied Arab thought since the Nahda era. The study proceeds from three fundamental questions: Is Islam a religion and a state, or is it a religion without a state? Did the Muhammadan Call carry a political project? Is the state in Islam—the state of the Prophet and the Caliphs—a product of the major historical transformations experienced by the Muhammadan Call? The study concludes that Islam, within a specific historical context, created the religious community in Mecca, which transformed into a political community in Medina, and that the post-Islamic political sphere is an extension of the pre-Islamic political sphere.

Keywords: The Muhammadan Call, Islam, The State, Politics, Political Islam.

⬜ Globalization and the Trap of Facilitation: Developing Countries
and the International Trade System    Mazen Walid 82

https://doi.org/10.65506/260605

This study reveals that the engagement of developing countries in the global trade system (GATT and the World Trade Organization) was not an equitable developmental trajectory, but rather occurred within a colonial structure that was reproduced after World War II. The victorious powers in the war, led by the United States, sought to restore globalization—in a second version—through agreements aimed at opening new markets. Furthermore, the concept of Special and Differential Treatment was employed as a tool of soft control; however, it soon transformed into a mechanism of forced integration, causing these countries to lose the ability to maneuver and protect their local markets. These agreements intersect with the logic and interests of developed countries, using the international trade system as an economic weapon that entrenches neo-colonialism.

Keywords: Globalization, International Trade System, GATT, World Trade Organization, Developing Countries, Neo-colonialism, Special and Differential Treatment, Hegemonic Stability Theory.

⬜ Arms Diplomacy: American Hegemony in the Middle East
Arms Market    Jawad El-Kassemi      104

https://doi.org/10.65506/260606

This study examines the dimensions and motives of American hegemony over the arms market in the Middle East region, considering this trade a pivotal geopolitical tool that transcends mere economic returns. The study derives its importance from the relevance of the subject in light of international transformations, wherein Washington employs its superiority in this sector to maintain its global influence. This study is distinguished by its methodological linkage of arms deals as an independent variable with the reinforcement of strategic dependency as a dependent variable, offering a coherent analytical framework for understanding the continuity of American hegemony. The study proceeds from the premise that the arms trade is a comprehensive strategic tool for strengthening alliances, ensuring Israeli superiority, and containing adversaries.

Keywords: American Hegemony, Arms Market, Middle East, Foreign Arms Sales, Strategic Motives, Regional Security.

⬜ The Growing Influence of Digital Companies on
State Sovereignty        Mohammed Al-Wadrasi       121

https://doi.org/10.65506/260607

The principle of sovereignty, historically established as a fundamental pillar of the concept of the modern state and a tool enabling it to exercise its authority exclusively within its geographical borders, is gradually eroding as a result of profound transformations that have occurred in the international system, most notably the digital revolution. This revolution is no longer merely a technological development but has become a force reshaping power, its boundaries, and practices globally, leading to a shift in sovereignty from an absolute framework to a relative space where sovereign capacity is measured by the state’s effectiveness in adapting to these changes. This paper investigates how digital technology impacts state sovereignty by encroaching upon domains that, until recently, fell within the exclusive competencies of the state, and are even considered among its most sovereign functions.

Keywords: Digital Technology, The State, Sovereignty, Power.

⬛ Articles and Opinions

⬜ The Body of El Halaiki El Fergawi and the Transformation of the
Reception Structure from the Ontology of Presence to the Mediality
of Digital Interaction               El Houari Yacine        140

https://doi.org/10.65506/260608

⬛ Books and Readings

⬜ Sociology of Disease and Medicine
(Philip Adam and Claudine Herzlich)              Youssouf Agoulzi       148

https://doi.org/10.65506/260609

⬜ Selected Arabic and Foreign Books and Research
Reports            Gaby El-Khoury         158

Arabic Books: Artificial Intelligence and Revolutionizing the Resources of the Prophetic Sunnah; The International Criminal Court and Combating Shadow Armies The Jurist and Authority in the Arabian Peninsula During the Thirteenth Century AH; In the Shadow of the Tsar: Small States in an Era of International Conflict.

Foreign Books: Equality, Plurality and Personal Status Laws: Research Companion; Democracy Without Politicians: Government by the People; Lebanon: Anatomy of a Collapse; Women in Power: Fighting for Democracy in an Age of Authoritarianism.

Research Reports: «Trump’s Project Freedom Isn’t Going to Open the Strait of Hormuz»; «Beyond Taiwan, a ‘Decent Peace’ at the Trump-Xi Summit».