Arab League members agree to a military coalition to address conflicts in the Arab world. The "historic" deal shelves past Western-led coalitions. The anti-Islamist fight and even the Israeli-Palestinian problem are overshadowed by the main goal: containing Iranian influence. However, the confessional divide is giving the Islamic State group greater leeway and is undermining the social and political demands of the Arab Spring.

Cairo (AsiaNews) – Egypt is hosting a weekend Arab League summit to discuss plans to form a joint military force against terrorism with, in the backdrop, Saudi-led coalition strikes on Shia rebels in Yemen.

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, alarmed by the chaos in neighbouring Libya and violence in its own Sinai Peninsula, has been advocating joint action against Islamists.

With Saudi Arabia leading the predominantly Sunni 22-member Arab League in a bid to curb the growing regional influence of Shia rival Iran, Egypt has joined a coalition of more than ten countries, deploying both its air force and navy.

Participants include Yemen's President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi who arrived in Sharm el-Sheikh on Friday, flying in from Riyadh where he had fled.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon, who has repeatedly called on Arab leaders to solve Yemen’s problems through dialogue, not war, will also to attend the week-end gathering.

Arab foreign ministers, in preparatory meetings, already agreed on the force, in a draft resolution to be submitted to Arab leaders. This “historic” move will be set up a military force that will act on behalf of Arab states. Until now, regional coalitions were Western-led.

The Israeli-Palestinian peace process, and the growth of the Islamic State (IS) group in Iraq, Syria and Libya are taking a backseat to the need to contain Iran and its influence in Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon (the so-called Shia arc).

Oraib al-Rentawi, head of Al-Quds Centre for Political Studies, pointed out that the Saudi priority is "to confront Iran's growing influence in the region". For Egypt and Jordan, the focus is on combating domestic Islamist radicals. In both cases, IS takes second place.

For some analysts, focusing on the confessional nature of intra-Arab conflict (Sunnis vs Shia) is leading to a dangerous situation. On the one hand, IS, which currently contained only by Iraq and Iran, can operate with greater latitude. On the other, the demands for political and social reform in the Arab world are being sidelined four years after Arab Spring revolutions.

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• yemen
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• arabia
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• military
• force
• shias
• sunnis