Watch the Sadat Forum Featuring Arab League Secretary General Nabil Fahmy
On Sept. 14, His Excellency Nabil Fahmy, Secretary General of the Arab League, headlined the Sadat Forum. Anwar Sadat Professor for Peace and Development Shibley Telhami moderated the virtual discussion. The conversation centered on "The Arab World in Tumultuous Times."
UMD President Darryll J. Pines offered welcoming remarks.
Among Fahmy's insightful remarks, he expressed fears of increasing incentives for Iran to pursue nuclear weapons. A strong advocate of nuclear non-proliferation, Fahmy said that "if there was a serious effort to achieve a nuclear-free Middle East, all the Arab countries would join and accept transparent verification mechanisms, including more than what's in the NPT at present." But he noted that "nuclear weapons are pursued for security purposes. If people feel insecure, they'll ultimately go down that way...if [Iranians] are being bombed and the only thing to secure them is to get strategic deterrent, why don't they learn the lesson?"—making clear that he is "not encouraging them to do that."
Noting that he is "an Arabist in my genes," Fahmy outlined his approach to Arab cooperation: "I think that my challenge isn't only in getting Arab countries to give the Arab League room or to work together. I actually think one of the challenges is regaining credibility of Arab cooperation. And that actually means getting some things done without trying to fix the whole world all in one step. That's not going to happen."
Fahmy also emphasized that "the Palestinian issue, for people of my generation, is one of the greatest disappointments and one of the greatest senses of failure." He argued that "Arabs need to be even clearer—clearer on both the meaning of peace and the cost of its absence. Israelis have to understand very clearly that this is how we can bring this thing to closure. That's the incentive. And if it continues to use violence and force, the cost of that is quite clear. It's only with that balanced package."
The Secretary General also observed that "the world order is in complete disorder. I think it's turbulent. There is no appreciation or even partial respect for international law. It is really the use of force rather than the force of law...There's a lack of respect for the rule of law internationally, excessive use of force, and it's even more so in the Middle East. So, it's really a call for action. Realism, yes. Pragmatism, yes. But based on principle, based on one fundamental principle—and it's not utopian: we have to respect rule of law."
Finally, Fahmy warned against fearing change to the point of paralysis: "If we don't embrace change in the way we think, we will be left behind because change is going to happen...Just a debate over the last two days about whether AI is going to help the world or destroy the world. Well, it's going to be there one way or the other, and we better be part of that discussion."
Story courtesy of the Sadat Chair
Published on Wed, Sep 16, 2026 - 11:01AM