Word: arabism
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...origins of the Mafia are lost in the mists of Sicily's tortured history. Scholars disagree on whether the term came from maehfil, meaning union in the language of the 9th century Arab conquerors of Sicily, or from the Tuscan word maffia, signifying poverty or misery. But there is little doubt that centuries of foreign occupation and feudal oppression turned Sicily into a unique breeding ground for organized crime...
Seeking to develop an axis of moderate Arab nations that could counterbalance Syria's power, Hussein began reaching out to Egypt. Last December, Amman signed a trade agreement with Cairo, reducing import barriers between the two countries. Meanwhile, Arafat met with both Mubarak and Hussein; by July, he had sufficiently rebuilt his authority within the P.L.O. to call a Palestine National Council meeting for Sept. 25 in Algiers. Assad, alarmed that Arafat might use the occasion to diminish the Syrian leader's influence in the P.L.O., flew to Algiers last month to pressure Algerian President Chadli Bendjedid into...
Mubarak's fondest hope is that other Arab countries will follow Hussein's lead in forgiving Egypt. One possible recruit is Iraq, which has enjoyed the support of both Egypt and Jordan in its four-year war against Iran. The most valuable addition to the Recognize Egypt campaign would be Saudi Arabia, whose prestige and caution make it a nation that many neighbors would be willing to follow. TIME'S Philip Finnegan reports that for the past two years Saudi Arabian officials have been holding secret talks with the Egyptians in Cairo and Riyadh. The meetings have...
...Amman, however, Hussein may have different motives for embracing Egypt. He may want to deflect U.S. disapproval if, as some diplomats expect, he decides to buy weapons from the Soviet Union. Or he may simply | be pursuing his policy of forging alliances, in this case with the most populous Arab country. "Jordan is always looking for friends in the region," says a Western official. "It is a small country and needs protection...
That was the main business of Murphy's diplomatic tour. U.S. officials readily admitted that Murphy had no specific plan when he began his hopscotch around the Arab capitals. But Murphy was a good choice to send on a side trip to Damascus: as U.S. Ambassador to Syria from 1974 to 1978, he developed a personal friendship with Assad. The two men talked for more than two hours before Murphy flew to Jerusalem, where he conferred with Peres for an hour. After seeing Mubarak in Cairo and lunching with Hussein in Amman, Murphy returned to Damascus on Friday...