The danger facing Abraham Accord

Peace agreements are often celebrated when they are signed, but their true test comes when tensions rise. The Abraham Accord, introduced in 2020, was presented as a rare moment of diplomatic optimism in the Middle East. Amid widespread skepticism, it began to normalize relations between Israel and several Arab countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and later Morocco, opening the door to trade, tourism and political cooperation.

Despite considerable public dissent, the accord produced measurable results in some countries. Economic ties expanded quickly, and trade between Israel and participating states grew significantly within a few years.

Today, however, rising regional tensions and ongoing conflicts threaten to slow or weaken that fragile progress. Across the Middle East, instability and escalating confrontations place enormous strain on diplomatic relationships that require patience and sustained commitment.

Peace agreements are not sustained by ceremonies or signatures alone. They endure only when the parties involved remain committed to preserving them even during difficult moments. If every crisis becomes a reason to abandon cooperation, then every accord risks turning into a discord. And if a crisis is perceived as manufactured, it only strengthens dissenters' skepticism.

The deeper cost of failed agreements is not only the immediate turmoil that follows, but the erosion of trust. Once confidence in diplomacy weakens, the next effort at peace becomes far more difficult to build.

An accord can open a door to cooperation. But when trust erodes, that same accord can quickly become a discord, and rebuilding trust afterward is far harder than preserving it in the first place.

Irfan Sarwar

Wheeling