Nasserism

The Drive for Arab Unity and the Rules of the Eastern Question

In the aftermath of World War I and the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, the British and French moved in to carve up the Middle East in pursuit of their national interests. At the same time, local leaders within the region sought to acquire greater power themselves, following the ousting of the sultan in Istanbul. Prominent leaders such as Ibn Saud and Sharif Hussein attempted to exert greater influence and called for Arab unity in an effort to unite the region. However, neither of these leaders had a legitimate following outside of their localities. In fact, the loose structure of the Ottoman realm resulted in little connection between different areas of the empire. Arabs in Iraq had little interest or bond with Arabs in Palestine. Thus, the drive for Arab unity lacked a foundation. Still, the common history, traditions, language and religion fomented the dream and motivated Egyptian President Gamal Abdul Nasser to advocate a return to Arab greatness. His efforts to lead the Arab world dominated the region from 1952 until his death in 1970. Somewhat successful, Nasserism ultimately failed. L. Carl Brown, in International Politics and the Middle East, defines some rules of the Eastern Question that, he argues, contribute to regional disunity. While Nasser managed to contradict some of these assertions in the short term, he ultimately became mired in the unforgiving world of Middle Eastern politics. His efforts were plagued by the Palestinians, fundamentalist Islam, Ba’thism, traditional loyalties, and outside influencers.