A Question of Arab Unity - Disillusion - 03 Mar 08 - Pt. 2

By the late 1950s, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Egypt's president, was the Arab world's most powerful and influential leader.

With his own brand of socialist ideology and political victories he impressed and inspired the Arabs, giving a new meaning to Arab Nationalism. But Nasser's very success, begged the question -- does unity need a collective effort or could the Arab Nation be built by a single leader?

Nasser's drive for unity with Syria would answer that question. Pan Arabists promised that the fusion would bring liberation, stability and prosperity. But in the hands of actual practitioners it seemed to be converted to a tool of domination, wielded in this case by the Egyptians over the Syrians. Disillusion set in.

In the end, it was the fragile United Arab Republic that suffered. The merger of Nasser and the Baath turned into a struggle for control within the camp of Arab Nationalism. The union did not release the pent-up potential that only the combining of Egypt and Syria could tap.

In the meantime Nasser had come under increasing pressure to confront Israel. Arab leaders began doubting his sincerity in defending Palestine, the cause he claimed to support.

Counting heavily on Arab support, Nasser's stated his intention to attack Israel, although militarily stretched to the breaking point with a large part of Egypt's army fighting in Yemen. The Arab Defence Pact was put to the test in 1967, in what became known as the Six Day War. In a pre-emptive strike on June 5, Israel destroyed most of Egypt's air force on the ground.

Arabs refer to the Six Day War as the Naksa -- the Defeat. The Arab Defence Pact failed, Jerusalem and the rest of Palestine was occupied and Syria lost the Golan Heights. Nasser was humiliated.

The military defeat of 1967 showed lack of coordination among Arab states, Arab land was lost, the common enemy was victorious and it served a big blow to Arab self confidence.

In this episode we look at what is left of Nasserism and discuss the implications of the defeat of 1967 which worked its way deep into the collective Arab psyche.

Two voices were raised in opposition to Arab nationalism. One spoke the language of allegiance to individual states. The other spoke of loyalty to a universalist Islam.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• Arab
• Unity
• Disillusion
• al
• jazeera
• aljazeera
• Gamal
• Abdel
• Nasser
• Nationalism

[qaasimaa]

This nigger -as you call me- asks: what criteria makes a RACE? Pleas tell me the genetic makers?

[logicwish1]

Wake up arabs, we have nothing more to lose, we need to stand up and fight for our common dignity and fight for our brothers and sisters, whom we forgot and even hated. we avoid to watch the killing of palestinains on the TV because it reminds us of how weak we are, how much we betrayed our selves. Wake up , we only have each other don't let them down again everbody else did, what if jews decide to do this to us, wouldn't we expect help from other arabs.

[mishrik]

@qaasimaa Looks go get a mirror!!.

[mishrik]

Its True Arab Unity is a myth. Egyptians are Egyptians once they were Roman people, later Arabs because Arabs ruled them If the Nubians (sudaneese) or turks rule them they will be turkish. Magrebi are berber and mostly European. Syrian are Assyrian and Hittite. Lebanese are armaic so Only Arabs are Sudanese the Janjaweed and Arabian people of the saudi's. Like French speaking Francophone people are not actually french. People speaking arabic are not arabs. Islam the religion of Arabs is a myth.

[ManRic2]

the founder of dictatorship, and complete failure, without Nasser, it will be no Sadat and Mubarak and defeat, he added another recorded military failure in 67, burn in hell Nasser.

[logicwish1]

Gamal Abd Elnasser was indeed a leader, but he was only seeking self achievemnet and heroism on the expense of his own people and other arab countries, he made good things but he helped in the down fall of the arab nations. We all need to learn more history and study our mistakes.

I'm sorry but we need some true leaders to guide us and really lead us out of this humiliation our brothers and sisters in palestine are being violated and we are still discussing our differences.

[logicwish1]

I'm from Egypt and I think that we arabs has so much in common that we can return back to our nature and become brothers again, the tought us to hate each other, they showed us how different we are, if you go back to history you will not find a reason to hate other arabs. we are one, we need each other to get back on our track.

The jews are controlloing the world and the fear us and don't want us to become one as we should and are destined to be, why are we escaping from our destiny.

[philipdcrusader]

The Arab unity is only secondary to achieve the Arab strength. Its the lack of talents, competence, discipline and importantly enlightment that the Arabs failed themselves. No matter how many times they profess their pledge to Israel destruction, even quadrillion of times shouting Ällahuakbar!", the Arabs will never defeat Israel. The Arabs can only defeat Israel based on REASON and TECHNOLOGY which they cannot achieve because of their own fanatical folly.

[101nanotechnology]

@qaasimaa that is so right not your skin is your lineage which your maker

[hointer]

@Assyrianmaster lol no cause the western world don't let then unite;)

[EgyptianGraphite]

Saudi........Dogs!!