69-609: United Republic may refer to: République solidaire , a centre-right political party in France United Arab Republic , a former political union between Egypt and Syria, and the official name of Egypt until 1971 United Republic of Tanzania , a country in central East Africa United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar , the old name for the United Republic of Tanzania United Republic of Cameroon ,
138-554: A Jordanian-Iraqi union to counter the UAR; such a union formed on 14 February 1958 as the Arab Federation . Jordan and Iraq agreed to establish a unified military command with a unified military budget, 80 per cent of which was to be provided by Iraq and the remaining 20 per cent by Jordan. Troops from both countries were exchanged in the arrangement. In nearby Lebanon , President Camille Chamoun , an opponent of Nasser, viewed
207-465: A Syrian-Egyptian union. Only Syrian advocates of unity, including Salah al-Din Bitar and Akram El-Hourani had prior knowledge of this delegation; Quwatli and Azem were notified a day later and considered it tantamount to a "military coup". Nasser's final terms for the union were decisive and non-negotiable: "a plebiscite, the dissolution of parties, and the withdrawal of the army from politics". While
276-567: A backlash from the Syrian business and army circles, which resulted in the Syrian coup of September 28, 1961, and the end of the UAR. According to Elie Podeh, "... this unity scheme was successful in consolidating the shaky Syrian identity. In fact, once the Syrians lost their independence they suddenly realized that they did indeed possess a different identity than the Egyptians." Despite
345-699: A broader grouping of independent Arab states prevailed with the establishment of the League of Arab States, a regional international organization, in 1945. In large part representing the popularity Nasser had gained among the masses in the Arab world following the Suez Crisis , the United Arab Republic (UAR) in 1958 was the first case of the actual merger of two previously-independent Arab countries. Hastily formed under President Nasser's leadership but on
414-434: A clash of thought with the likes of religious Saudi Arabia , whose longstanding promotion of religion was contradictory to the goals of the secular hierarchy within the two Levantine countries, for example. Different Arab leaders competed to become the leading voices for the Arab and Islamic worlds. Such competition sporadically resulted in friction between the leaders of these Arab countries. The United Arab Republic , which
483-459: A coup and declared Syria's independence from the UAR. Though the coup leaders were willing to renegotiate a union under terms they felt would put Syria on an equal footing with Egypt, Nasser refused such a compromise. He initially considered sending troops to overthrow the new regime, but chose not to once he was informed that the last of his allies in Syria had been defeated. In speeches that followed
552-632: A crackdown against the Syrian Communists and opponents of the union. This included dismissing Bizri and Azem from their posts. Advocates of the union believed that Nasser would use the Ba'ath Party for ruling Syria. Unfortunately for the Ba'athists, it was never Nasser's intention to share an equal measure of power. Nasser established a new provisional constitution proclaiming a 600-member National Assembly with 400 members from Egypt and 200 from Syria, and
621-504: A democratic government since the overthrow of Adib al-Shishakli 's military government in 1954, and popular pressure for Arab unity was reflected in the composition of parliament . On 11 January 1958, the Syrian Chief of Staff Afif al-Bizri headed a Syrian delegation composed of military officers which came uninvited and unannounced to Cairo. The delegation was received by Egyptian Chief of Staff Abdel Hakim Amer and petitioned for
690-675: A flag based on the Arab Liberation Flag of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 , but with two stars to represent the two parts of the UAR. From 1980 this has been the official flag of Syria . In 1963, Iraq adopted a flag that was similar but with three stars, representing the hope that Iraq would join the UAR. The current flags of Egypt , Sudan and Yemen are also based on the 1952 Arab Liberation Flag of horizontal red, white and black bands. In June 1960, Nasser tried to establish economic reforms that would bring
759-579: A modernized version of the Quranic Arabic language ( Modern Standard Arabic ) as the universal written and official language throughout the Arab world, instead of adoption of local dialects in the various countries. Zaydan wrote several articles during the early 20th century which emphasized that Arabic-speaking regions stretching from the Maghreb to the Persian Gulf constitute one people with
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#1732766244485828-914: A political project, pan-Arabism was first pressed by Sharif Hussein ibn Ali , the Sharif of Mecca , who sought independence for the Mashreq Arabs from the Ottoman Empire , and the establishment of a unified Arab state in the Mashreq. In 1915 and 1916, the Hussein-McMahon Correspondence resulted in an agreement between the United Kingdom and the Sharif that if the Mashreq Arabs revolted successfully against
897-414: A shared national consciousness and that this linguistic bond trumped religious, racial and specific territorial bonds, inspired in part by his status as a Levantine Christian émigré in 19th century Egypt. He also popularized through his historical novels a secular understanding of Arab history encompassing the pre-Islamic and Islamic periods into a shared history that all Arabs could claim as their own. As
966-490: A special case, he felt obliged to back his supporters through giving Abdel Hamid Sarraj the task of sending them money and light arms, and training officers. On 14 July 1958, Iraqi army officers staged a military coup and overthrew the Kingdom of Iraq – which had just previously united with Jordan to form the rival Arab Federation . Nasser declared his recognition of the new government and stated that "any attack on Iraq
1035-597: Is 88th). It was comparable in size to South Africa , and twice the size of France . Following the dissolution of the All-Palestine Government , the United Arab Republic further exerted administration over Gaza, until 1967 . 30°02′N 31°13′E / 30.033°N 31.217°E / 30.033; 31.217 Pan-Arabism Pan-Arabism ( Arabic : الوحدة العربية , romanized : al-wiḥda al-ʿarabiyyah )
1104-625: Is a pan-nationalist ideology that espouses the unification of all Arab people in a single nation-state , consisting of all Arab countries of West Asia and North Africa from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea , which is referred to as the Arab world . It is closely connected to Arab nationalism , which asserts the view that the Arabs constitute a single nation . It originated in
1173-422: Is organized in several other countries. The decline of pan-Arabism is attributed to several factors. Problems persisted over a wide range of issues since the inception of pan-Arabist philosophy in the late 1800s, which, until its decline, had kept pan-Arabism on course for causal failure. The factors include: the promotion of pan-Islamism , the sectarian and social differences within the different Arab societies;
1242-543: The National Union (the single party which replaced the Ba'ath), with the help of Colonel Abdul Hamid Sarraj (a Syrian army official and Nasser sympathizer), antagonized Ba'athist leaders. The Ba'ath Party won only five percent of the seats on the higher committees, while the more traditional conservative parties won a significant majority. Sarraj was appointed the head of the National Union in Syria, and by
1311-657: The Palestinian Authority , created by the Oslo Accords , established a degree of Palestinian civil administration in Gaza. Israel retreated from Gaza in 2005 was not followed by resumption of control by Egypt. Since 2007, Gaza has been administrated by the Palestinian party Hamas . If it existed today, the United Arab Republic would be the 25th largest nation on the planet (Egypt is 30th and Syria
1380-783: The West Bank , the Golan Heights , and the Sinai Peninsula during the Six-Day War . Egypt recovered partial sovereignty over the Sinai Peninsula in 1978, but only after agreeing to recognize Israel. Anwar Sadat, who reversed many of the socialist reforms enacted under Nassar, extended diplomatic recognition to Tel Aviv despite Israel's ongoing occupation of lands seized in 1967. Israel maintained an occupation of these territories and created settlements. After 1994,
1449-455: The nationalization of banks, insurance companies, and all heavy industry, July 23, 1961. Nasser also extended his social justice principles. The land limit was reduced from 200 to 100 feddans . Interest rates for farmers were dramatically reduced to the point of elimination in some cases. A ninety percent tax was instituted on all income above £E10,000. Workers and employees were allowed representatives on management boards. They were also given
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#17327662444851518-660: The "Arab Republic of Egypt" in 1973. Also in 1958, a Hashemite -led rival, the Arab Federation , was founded between Jordan and Iraq . Tensions with the UAR and the 14 July Revolution made the Arab Federation collapse after only six months. Another attempt, the United Arab States , existed as a confederation between the United Arab Republic and the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen , but it dissolved in 1961. Two later attempts represented
1587-617: The "Communist threat". According to Abdel Latif Boghdadi , Nasser initially resisted a total union with Syria, favoring instead a federal union. However, Nasser was "more afraid of a Communist takeover" and agreed on a total merger. The increasing strength of the Syrian Communist Party, under the leadership of Khalid Bakdash , worried the Syrian Ba'ath Party , which was suffering from an internal crisis from which prominent members were anxious to find an escape. Syria had
1656-656: The Iraqi Free Officers a year before the coup – or Qasim viewed Nasser as a threat to his supremacy as leader of Iraq. Later in July, the American government convinced Chamoun not to seek a second term. This allowed the election of Fuad Chehab as Lebanon's new president. Nasser and Chehab met at the Lebanese–Syrian border and Nasser explained to Chehab that he never wanted unity with Lebanon, but only that
1725-687: The Ottomans, the United Kingdom would support claims for Mashreq Arab independence. In 1916, however, the Sykes-Picot Agreement between the United Kingdom and France determined that parts of the Mashreq would be divided between those powers rather than forming part of an independent Arab state. When the Ottoman Empire surrendered in 1918, the United Kingdom refused to keep to the letter of its arrangements with Hussein, and
1794-459: The Syrian economy more in line with the strong Egyptian public sector. However, these changes did little to help either economy. Rather than shift growth toward the private sector, Nasser embarked on an unprecedented wave of nationalizations in both Syria and Egypt . These began in July 1961, without consulting top Syrian economic officials. The entire cotton trade was taken over by the government, as well as all import-export firms. Nasser announced
1863-471: The United Arab Republic would not be permitted to see Griffith's performance. Instead of a federation of two Arab peoples, as many Syrians had imagined, the UAR turned into a state completely dominated by Egyptians. Syrian political life was also diminished, as Nasser demanded all political parties in Syria to be dismantled. In the process, the strongly centralized Egyptian state imposed Nasser's socialistic political and economic system on weaker Syria, creating
1932-477: The United States promoting "The American Anti-Corruption Act " See also [ edit ] United Federation (disambiguation) Political union Personal union Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title United Republic . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to
2001-455: The affairs in Syria. By moving the latter two, both Ba'athists, to Cairo, he neutralized important political figures who had their own ideas about how Syria should be run within the UAR. In Syria, opposition to union with Egypt mounted. Syrian Army officers resented being subordinate to Egyptian officers, and Syrian Bedouin tribes received money from Saudi Arabia to prevent them from becoming loyal to Nasser. Also, Egyptian-style land reform
2070-486: The competition between different Arab leaders to be the leading voice for the Arab and Islamic worlds; and, to a lesser extent, military defeat against an enemy force. The promotion of pan-Islamism had been a key aspect within Arab and Muslim societies. Such philosophy dictated for a united Islamic ‘Ummah’ or the close bounding of all Islamic communities to maintain and promote an essence of one family, one cause. The philosophy of pan-Arabism placed itself in contradiction to
2139-502: The country not be used as a base against the UAR. This meeting resulted in the end of the crisis in Lebanon, with Nasser ceasing to supply his partisans and America setting a deadline for retreating from the area. After the overthrow of its Hashemite monarchy in 1958, Iraq became the Arab state most supportive of the UAR. Iraq sought to join the union; however, in 1959 Qasim cancelled the unity talks. After Qasim's overthrow in 1963
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2208-538: The coup, Nasser declared he would never give up his goal of an ultimate Arab union. However, he would never again achieve such a tangible victory toward this goal. After Syria's withdrawal from the union in 1961, Egypt retained its "United Arab Republic" name until 1971. In the early 1960s, Nasser sent an expeditionary army to Yemen to support the anti-monarchist forces in the North Yemen Civil War . From 5 to 10 June in 1967, Israel invaded Gaza ,
2277-481: The creation of the UAR with worry. Pro-Nasser factions in the country were mostly Muslims and Druze , while the Christian Maronite population generally supported Chamoun. These two sides began clashing, culminating in a civil war by May 1958. The former favoured merging with the UAR, while the latter feared the new country as a satellite of Communism . Although Nasser did not covet Lebanon, seeing it as
2346-438: The disbanding of all political parties, including the Ba'ath. Nasser gave each of the provinces two vice-presidents, assigning Boghdadi and Abdel Hakim Amer to Egypt and Sabri al-Assali and Akram El-Hourani – a leader of the Ba'ath – to Syria. The new provisional constitution of 1958 was adopted. Though Nasser allowed former Ba'ath Party members to hold prominent political positions, they never reached positions as high in
2415-458: The economic difficulties, what truly produced the demise of the UAR was Nasser's inability to find a suitable political system for the new regime. Given his socialist agenda in Egypt, the Ba'ath should have been his natural ally, but Nasser was hesitant to share power. Though Amer allowed some liberalization of the economy in order to appease Syrian businessmen, his decision to rig the elections of
2484-597: The enthusiasm of Libya 's Muammar Gaddafi , the Federation of Arab Republics , which lasted five years, and the Arab Islamic Republic with Tunisia , which also aimed to include Algeria and Morocco but never emerged in practice. Muammar Gaddafi had talks with Chadli Bendjedid in 1988 about forming an Algeria-Libya union. Instead the Arab Maghreb Union was formed in 1989. Aside from
2553-508: The entire Arab world, with as much land, as many Arabs, and as few Jews as possible. The origins of pan-Arabism are often attributed to the Nahda (Arab awakening or enlightenment) movement that flourished in the Arab regions of the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century. A prominent figure was Jurji Zaydan (1861–1914), who played a key role in laying the intellectual foundation for Pan-Arabism. Zaydan had critical influence on acceptance of
2622-632: The forcible unification of much of the Arabian Peninsula by the Saudi rulers of Najd during the 1920s, the unity of seven Arab emirates that form the United Arab Emirates and the unification of North Yemen and South Yemen stand today as rare examples of actual unification. The current Syrian government is, and the former government of Iraq was led by rival factions of the Ba'ath Party , which continues to espouse pan-Arabism and
2691-684: The government as did the Egyptian officials. During the winter and the spring of 1959–60, Nasser slowly squeezed prominent Syrians out of positions of influence. In the Syrian Ministry of Industry, for example, seven of the top thirteen positions were filled by Egyptians. In the General Petroleum Authority, four of the top six officials were Egyptian. In the fall of 1958, Nasser formed a tripartite committee, consisting of Zakaria Mohieddine , al-Hawrani, and Bitar to oversee
2760-405: The initiative of Syrian leaders who feared a takeover by communists or "reactionaries" and hoped to lead the new entity, the UAR was a unitary state, not a federal union, with its critics seeing this as hardly more than a small country being annexed by a larger one. It lasted until 1961, when Syrian army officers carried out a coup d'état and withdrew from the union. As politicians felt pressured by
2829-489: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=United_Republic&oldid=1226847362 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages United Arab Republic The United Arab Republic ( UAR ; Arabic : الجمهورية العربية المتحدة , romanized : al-Jumhūriyya al-ʿArabiyya al-Muttaḥida )
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2898-523: The late 19th century among the Arab regions of the Ottoman Empire , and its popularity reached its height during the 1950s and 1960s. Advocates of pan-Arabism have often espoused Arab socialist principles and strongly opposed the political involvement of the West in the Arab world. It also sought to empower Arab states against outside forces by forming alliances and, to a lesser extent, economic co-operation. Pan-Arabists wanted to create an Arab state spanning
2967-587: The leaders of the other Middle Eastern countries against Abdullah. The distrust of Abdullah's expansionist aspirations was one of the principal reasons for the founding of the Arab League in 1945. Once Abdullah was assassinated by a Palestinian nationalist in 1951, the vision of Greater Syria was dropped from the Jordanian agenda. Although pan-Arabism began at the time of World War I , Egypt (the most populous and arguably most important Arab country)
3036-433: The neighboring state of Israel. There have been several attempts to bring about a pan-Arab state by many well-known Arab leaders, all of which ultimately resulted in failure. British Foreign Minister Anthony Eden called for Arab unity during the 1940s, and was followed by specific proposals from pro-British leaders, including King Abdullah of Transjordan and Prime Minister Nuri al-Said of Iraq, but Egyptian proposals for
3105-517: The newly appointed army 's chief of staff, Afif al-Bizri , was a Communist sympathizer. This caused the Syrian Crisis of 1957 after which Syrians intensified their efforts to unite with Egypt. Nasser told a Syrian delegation, including President Shukri al-Quwatli and Prime Minister Khaled al-Azem , that they needed to rid their government of Communists, but the delegation countered and warned him that only total union with Egypt would end
3174-505: The nineteenth century worked against, rather than for, an 'Arab' orientation. ... This situation—that of divergent political trajectories for Egyptians and Arabs—if anything increased after 1900. It was not until Gamal Abdel Nasser that Arab nationalism (in addition to Arab socialism ) became a state policy and a means with which to define Egypt's position in the Middle East and the world, usually articulated vis-à-vis Zionism in
3243-467: The old name for the Republic of Cameroon United Republics of China , a proposed name for a united China United Republic of Great Britain and Northern Ireland , a name proposed by some British republicans for the United Kingdom "United Republic", the national anthem of Yemen The United Republic of Nations, the main setting of The Legend of Korra United Republic, a 501c4 organization in
3312-579: The philosophy of pan-Islamism as was clarified by religious scholars and Sheikhs within the various Arab countries, especially the Persian gulf. The belief held by critics emphasized that pan-Arabism separated itself from the Ummah in that it only promoted Arab unity and ideals, not Islamic ones. The religious conservatism within the societies propelled pan-Islamism to defeat alternative thoughts such as pan-Arabism. Various sectarian and social differences within
3381-435: The plebiscite seemed reasonable to most Syrian elites, the latter two conditions were extremely worrisome. They believed it would destroy political life in Syria. Despite these concerns, the Syrian officials knew it was too late to turn back. The members of the elite in Syria viewed the merger with Egypt as the lesser of two evils. They believed that Nasser's terms were unfair, but given the intense pressure that their government
3450-413: The rest of the year. As a part of this centralization, Sarraj was relocated to Cairo, where he found himself with little real power. September 15, 1961, Sarraj returned to Syria, and after meeting with Nasser and Amer resigned from all his posts on September 26. Without any close allies to watch over Syria, Nasser was unaware of the growing unrest of the military. On September 28 a group of officers staged
3519-462: The right to a twenty-five percent share in the profit of their firm. The average workday was also cut from eight hours to seven without a reduction in pay. Upon accepting the 1960 Best Supporting Actor award given to Hugh Griffith for his "wonderfully humorous, human, and sympathetic characterization of an Arab sheik" in Ben-Hur (1959), director William Wyler expressed regret that the people of
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#17327662444853588-530: The spring of 1960 had replaced Amer as the chair of the Syrian Executive Council. Under Sarraj Syria was ruled by a repressive security force designed to suppress all opposition to the regime. The immense increases in public sector control were accompanied by a push for centralization . In August 1961 Nasser abolished regional governments in favour of one central authority, which operated from Damascus February through May and from Cairo for
3657-563: The two nations assumed guardianship of Mesopotamia, Lebanon , Palestine and what became modern Syria. Ultimately, Hussein became King of only Hijaz , in the then less strategically valuable south, but lost his Caliphate throne when the kingdom was sacked by the Najdi Ikhwan forces of the Saudites and forcefully incorporated into the newly created Kingdom of Saudi Arabia . A more formalized pan-Arab ideology than that of Hussein
3726-414: The unfavorable outcome, thus putting pan-Arabism in question. The victory of Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War and the inability of Egypt and Syria to generate economic growth in some form, also damaged pan-Arabism's credibility. "By the mid-1970s," according to The Continuum Political Encyclopedia of the Middle East , "the idea of Arab unity became less and less apparent in Arab politics, though it remained
3795-449: The union idea resurrected with the proposal of Egypt, Iraq, and Syria reforming the UAR. A new flag was proposed, with three stars symbolizing the three states constituting the proposed union. However, the plan for a tri-partite union never materialised. Iraq continued to use the three-star flag and later adopted it as the national flag . This three-star flag remained Iraq's national flag (with some modifications) until 2007. The UAR adopted
3864-404: The various Arab societies was another fueling factor for pan-Arabism's decline. Sporadic Sunni and Shia religious divide exacerbated by internal and foreign factors caused reconsideration within Arab circles as to whether pan-Arabism was viable although the issue was religiously oriented. Social differences toed a similar line. Countries like Lebanon and Syria considered secular brought about
3933-440: The wide public to espouse the idea of unity, Egypt, Syria and Iraq entered into an abortive agreement in 1963 to form the United Arab Republic, which was to be "federal in structure, leaving each member state its identity and institutions." By 1961, Egypt had become the only remaining member but continued to call itself "the UAR" (thereby implying it was open for unification with other Arab countries), but it eventually renamed itself
4002-533: Was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 until 1961. It was initially a short-lived political union between Egypt (including the governance of Gaza ) and Syria from 1958 until Syria seceded from the union following the 1961 Syrian coup d'état . Egypt continued to be known officially as the United Arab Republic until it was formally dissolved by Anwar Sadat in September 1971. The republic
4071-467: Was fascinated with the Nazi ideology of "racial purity" and impacted Aflaq . Abdullah I of Jordan dreamed of uniting Syria , Palestine , and Jordan under his leadership in what he would call Greater Syria . He unsuccessfully proposed a plan to this effect to the United Kingdom , which controlled Palestine at that time. The plan was not popular among the majority of Arabs and fostered distrust among
4140-580: Was first espoused in the 1930s, notably by Syrian thinkers such as Constantin Zureiq , Sati' al-Husri , Zaki al-Arsuzi , and Michel Aflaq . Aflaq and al-Arsuzi were key figures in the establishment of the Arab Ba’ath (Renaissance) Party , and the former was for long its chief ideologist, combining elements of Marxist thought with nationalism to a considerable extent reminiscent of nineteenth-century European romantic nationalism. It has been said that Arsuzi
4209-652: Was formulated by Egypt ’s Gamal Abdel Nasser and Syria ’s Shukri al-Quwatli , was promoted to be the collective voice for the Arab world and the spearhead of pan-Arabism. Being the only physical incarnation of pan-Arabism, it did not receive the expected praise from other Arab nations, especially in the Gulf, which further added to the decline of pan-Arabism. To a lesser extent, the military defeat to “arch-enemy” Israel made both prominent sources of pan-Arabism reconsider such philosophy. The United Arab Republic , consisting of Egypt and Syria , received ideological burden due to
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#17327662444854278-501: Was interpreted by the other nations of the world as a major threat to Jordan . Syria was seen as a source of instigation and shelter for Jordanian plotters against King Hussein . Egypt's own status as a state unfriendly to Western aggression in the region (and thus to the close relationship between the British, in particular, and the Jordanian and Iraqi monarchies) added to the pressure. Hussein responded by proposing to Faisal II of Iraq
4347-591: Was led by Gamal Abdel Nasser as the Egyptian president . The UAR was a member of the United Arab States , a loose confederation with the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen , which was dissolved in 1961. The United Arab Republic was established on 1 February 1958 as the first step towards a larger pan-Arab state, originally being proposed to Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser by a group of political and military leaders in Syria . Pan-Arab sentiment traditionally
4416-453: Was not able to address problems in Syria completely, because they were new to him, and instead of appointing Syrians to run Syria, he assigned this position to Amer and Abdel Hamid Sarraj (a Syrian army official and Nasser sympathizer). In Egypt, the situation was more positive, with a GNP growth of 4.5 per cent and a rapid growth of industry. In 1960, Nasser nationalized the Egyptian press, reducing it to his personal mouthpiece. The union
4485-416: Was not interested in pan-Arabism prior to the 1950s. Thus, in the 1930s and 1940s, Egyptian nationalism – not pan-Arabism – was the dominant mode of expression of Egyptian political activists. James Jankowski wrote about Egypt at the time, What is most significant is the absence of an Arab component in early Egyptian nationalism. The thrust of Egyptian political, economic, and cultural development throughout
4554-523: Was resented for damaging Syrian agriculture , the Communists began to gain influence, and the intellectuals of the Ba'ath Party who supported the union rejected the one-party system . Mustafa al-Barudi, the Syrian Minister of Propaganda, stated that 'the smallest member of the (Egyptian) retinue thought that he had inherited our country. [Egyptians] spread "like octopuses" everywhere.' Nasser
4623-753: Was tantamount to an attack on the UAR". The next day American marines and British special forces landed in Lebanon and in Jordan, respectively, to prevent the two countries from opening up to pro-Nasser forces. To Nasser, the revolution in Iraq opened the road for Arab nationalism. Although most members of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) favoured joining Iraq with the UAR, the new prime minister Abdel Karim Qasim disagreed. Said K. Aburish states reasons for this could have included Nasser's refusal to cooperate with and encourage
4692-430: Was undergoing, they believed that they had no other choice. A plebiscite was held on 21 February 1958, with Egyptians and Syrians voting in favor of the merger. The result was announced on 22 February and Nasser was declared the new president of the United Arab Republic. Egyptian and Syrian leaders signed the protocols, although Azem did so reluctantly. Nasser became the republic's president and very soon carried out
4761-429: Was very strong in Syria, and Nasser was a popular heroic figure throughout the Arab world following the Suez Crisis of 1956. There was thus considerable popular support in Syria for union with Nasser's Egypt . The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was the leading advocate of such a union. In mid-1957, Western powers began to worry that Syria was close to a Communist takeover; it had a highly organized Communist Party and
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