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If the Middle East is going to escape the cycle of violence and authoritarian government then it has to develop the rule of law, says Lord Soley.
Following my involvement in the Al Jaweed case of a Palestinian family who had their property seized without lawful authority, I initiated talks with the ambassador of the Emirates and the representative of the Palestinian Authority in the UK. I argued that if the Middle East was going to escape the cycle of violence and authoritarian government, then it had to develop the rule of law.
Abu Dhabi has a basis of law but it is limited in its application and also by the use of arbitrary power. I suggested that an existing university with a law faculty ought to develop a home-based postgraduate system covering international law and human rights and extend this to Palestine via an outreach programme. This would help Palestine develop the institutions necessary for a modern state. Establishing a postgraduate course in the region should encourage the development of a culture of legal practice.
If this is to work well it will need to be a prestigious course, and gain the confidence and approval of international organisations and academic institutions. I also suggested that at the appropriate time they institute a prestigious lecture on the rule of law in the Middle East so there could be a regular, regionally-based discussion on its importance.
I was impressed with the enthusiasm that greeted this proposal. It was generously described by Zayed University in Abu Dhabi and the Palestinian authority as ‘visionary’. I was very encouraged by this.
I then had tentative discussions with two other states in the region along similar lines. Then the revolution broke out in Egypt so further developments were put on hold. The revolutions indicate just how important the rule of law is. The development of democracy needs to be accompanied by the rule of law.
There is a very real problem about the way we deal with authoritarian states. Intervention and engagement is fraught with difficulty as we know from recent developments, but doing nothing about the lack of democracy and the rule of law is to my mind unacceptable.
The government is aware of my Abu Dhabi/Palestine initiative and is supportive. My question will explore the opportunity of increasing the UK’s involvement in building up the rule of law in the region.
Recent events demonstrate how timely the Abu Dhabi/Palestine proposal is.
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