On the Arab League's new Secretary-General...

Nabil Fahmy, the new Secretary-General of the Arab League, officially assumed his post today, July 1, 2026. The 75-year-old Fahmy's candidacy was unanimously approved and announced to the public at the Arab League foreign ministers' meeting on March 29. The statement emphasized that Fahmy possesses the experience and knowledge to deal with international crises. Fahmy, who took over from outgoing Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, noted that assuming the role at "a time when those who trample on international law are treacherously attacking our lands and our brothers" carries great responsibility.

Born in New York in 1951, where his father was stationed on a diplomatic assignment, Nabil Fahmy began his diplomatic career at Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 1976. Fahmy served as ambassador to Tokyo from 1997 to 1999 and to Washington from 1999 to 2008, working closely with US officials during the 9/11 and Iraq invasion periods. He briefly served as foreign minister in 2013-2014 and has also been actively involved in academia, affiliated with the American University in Cairo.

Nabil Fahmy takes the helm of the Arab League at a time when the Middle East and the Islamic world are grappling with a series of severe crises. Israel's increasingly aggressive and deepening occupation in Palestine, continued Zionist harassment in Lebanon, tensions and negotiation processes between Iran and the US, the Iran-Saudi Arabia struggle in Yemen, the ongoing civil war in Sudan, the Algeria-Morocco diplomatic crisis, and the UAE-Israel alliance across a vast geography from Somalia to Libya are just a few of the many files awaiting Fahmy at his desk. Unless an extraordinary situation arises, Fahmy will serve two consecutive five-year terms, as per routine practice.

The difficulty of the new Secretary-General's job does not stem solely from the thickness and complexity of the files piled up before him. There are also challenges arising from the Arab League's very structure and political stance:

Founded in Cairo on March 22, 1945, following a preparatory meeting in Alexandria, Egypt, the Arab League is currently the largest international organization uniting the Arab world under one roof, with 22 member states. Initially established by seven countries (Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and North Yemen), the league was gradually expanded to encompass all Arabs.

The Arab League, whose headquarters and secretariat-general office are located in Cairo, was particularly shaped to align completely with Egypt's foreign policy preferences through the direct interventions of Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser from 1952 onward. In subsequent years, in all crises faced by the Arab world, the Arab League followed the decisions of the Egyptian government without question, rather than adopting an independent policy or stance. The sole exception to this was the collective reaction of Arab countries to Egyptian President Anwar Sadat's Camp David Peace Accords with Israel in 1979. The anger toward Sadat was so great that the Arab League's headquarters were moved from Cairo to Tunis, Egypt was expelled from the league, and for the first time in its history, a non-Egyptian diplomat—Tunisian Chedli Klibi—assumed the secretary-generalship. Egypt was only readmitted to the Arab League in 1989, long after Sadat's assassination in 1981, and the league's headquarters were moved back to Cairo the following year.

Nabil Fahmy is the son of Ismail Fahmy (1922-1997), a former Egyptian foreign minister. A career diplomat, Ismail Fahmy was one of President Anwar Sadat's most trusted men. Nevertheless, when Sadat suddenly decided to visit Israel in 1977, Fahmy submitted his resignation in protest, not hesitating to leave his post as he could not stomach visiting those who occupied Palestine.

Now here is the key question: Since Ismail Fahmy's son, by the nature of his duties, will undoubtedly be forced to confront Israeli aggression, could he one day use the resignation card as his father did? I think we all know the answer.