Arab summit: Turning a blind eye

Arab leaders meeting in Jordan failed to address the critical economic challenges facing the region

As Arab summits go, the latest, held on the shores of the Dead Sea in Jordan, was a relative success. In contrast to the poor showings of recent meetings, the turn-out was good, with most of the heavy-weight Arab countries represented by heads of state. One major development on the sidelines was a reconciliatory meeting between King Salman of Saudi Arabia and President Sisi of Egypt. But the succession of public statements by Arab leaders inside the conference chamber contained few surprises. The calls for an independent state for the Palestinians were followed by pleas for the settlement of conflicts in Syria, Yemen and Libya. None of the heads of state suggested how these wars might be res