ABSTRACT
Having dissected the conceptual and structural operative principles of the OIC in the previous chapter, I wish to turn to the political praxis of the chief political actors within the OIC. Here the task at hand is rendered more complex by the fact that the OIC does not publish verbatim proceedings of its sessions (and one suspects this to be rooted in its self-definition as a unitary body in which national preferences lie prostrate before the holistic horizon of pan-Islam). Still, the rise and demise of different resolutions, their timing and wording, and the generic geopolitical constellations of the Islamic world remain indicators which, cumulatively, provide some insight, if tentative, into national purpose as well as incentive-structures. Hence, with the aid of an interpretative approach, we shall seek to unveil the inner logic of the OIC mechanics by reference to the action (and indeed inaction) of three key players, namely the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Islamic Republic of Iran, and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
