The Peace on The Horizon - 75 Years after The World War 2 in the Middle East (49)

 

(Japanese Version)

(Arabic Version)

 

(contents)

 

Chapter 2 Global wave – The end of colonial era and the emerging two super powers (11)

 

049 The Arab world repeats unity and divorce (2/3)

It could be said that Nasser aimed for an alliance of Arab peoples to regain the glory of old days. In history, it was common that the new rulers used to whisper to the people the banner of conquest: We are the same ethnic group! There was one example in prewar Japan in the Far East. Japan vocalized the concept of "Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere by Asian Peoples". Nasser stirred Arab ethnic consciousness or Islamic belief in the speech more and more. Citizens dreamed with his word.

 

Nasser offered Syria a coalition state with Egypt. There was no objection in Syria where the Baath party with Arab nationalism dominated. In February 1958, two countries established the United Arab Republic. The new state had the strategic idea to attack Israel from both sides. Arab Federation between Kingdoms of Jordan and Iraq was also launched in May of the same year just three months later as if not to miss the chance.

 

Both Jordan and Iraq were the kingdoms sharing the same ethnicity and religion, whose descendants were the Hassim family linked to the Prophet Muhammad. But Arab Federation was different from the United Arab Republic by Egypt and Syria. United Arab Republic aimed for solid political integration while Arab Federation had a loose unity. The purpose of Iraq and Jordan was to defend the monarch system itself.

 

(To be continued ----)

 

 

Areha Kazuya

(From an ordinary citizen in the cloud)