The increasing calls to change the mechanism of choosing the Secretary -General of the League of Arab States have sparked widespread controversy on social media platforms, amid discussions on the necessity of ending the traditional Egyptian hegemony in this position.
These developments come in light of the ongoing endeavors to reform and develop the League of Arab States, which started with the Jeddah summit in May 2023 hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where an Arab committee was formed headed by Saudi Arabia to discuss comprehensive reforms for the university.
By March 2024, the committee met in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to discuss the file of reform and development of the League of Arab States, in a move aimed at enhancing the role of the Arab organization in the regional and international scene.
Amid these developments, the file of the position of the university’s Secretary -General is highlighted as one of the sensitive issues that raises widespread controversy in political circles and on social media platforms, especially with the approaching mandate of the current Secretary -General.
Since the establishment of the League of Arab States in 1945, the position of Secretary -General has assumed 8 Egyptian diplomats, which reflects a diplomatic custom that has been customary without a legal text obligated to do so, which opens the way for discussion on the necessity of change.
And the current Secretary -General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, who has been in the position since 2016, is expected to end in 2026, but talking about the future role of this position is strongly with the approaching date of his term.
Difchy opinions
Against the background of this discussion, blogs emerged on the X platform that interacted with calls for changing the mechanism of selecting the Secretary -General, monitored the network of networks (6/2025/8) as part of it, as opinions were divided between supporters and opponents of this approach.
Muhammad wrote: “The university is not permissible to be the preserve of any country, whatever its size.
On the other hand, Khaled defended the current situation, saying: “Egypt did not seize the position as some claim, but rather preserved it because it was always part of the Arab balances.
Abdel Aziz supported the idea of change by saying: “The League of Arab States needs to renew real blood, which includes the mechanism of selecting its Secretary -General. Today, Saudi Arabia has a wide regional and international relations network, and diplomatic experience authorizes it to perform this role effectively.”
Ahmed presented a different vision about the criteria for choosing by saying: “The only rational idea is currently that there is no disagreement on, that the League of Arab States must be based in a strong political and economic state at the region level, wherever you find this country and see it appropriate, I agree with you.”
While Bahjat expressed his pessimism from the role of the Arab League in general, saying: “The university no longer has a voice and strength … and no change in it should be disturbed, so that it is simply in Arabic, as it is not necessary.”
The upcoming developments in the file of the Arab League reform remains anticipation and attention, especially with the continuing discussions on the necessity of modernizing the structure of the organization and its work mechanisms to keep pace with the requirements of the current stage and the future challenges facing the Arab region.