| This research seeks to determine whether or not Arab summits in particular and summits in general contribute to the promotion of international cooperation. Accordingly, the twenty Arab summits which were held between January 1964, and August, 1990 were analyzed. It was found that two-thirds of the summits contributed to cooperation, a ratio which should commend the institution of summitry in the endeavor to promote international cooperation. Cooperation at the Arab summit was found to be of two types: "quid pro quo", where the summit makes possible an exchange of goods between two parties, a transaction that, however, would not have taken place without the intercession of the summit; and "coercive" cooperation, where one or more members of the summit coerce another one or more members to go along with a particular policy. One of the key means of coercion at the summit was the manipulation of Arab nationalism by one party or another. |
