To what extent were the actions of Nasser the most important factor in encouraging Arab unity in the years 1954-70?
Overall, it seems that Nasser was an important figurehead in uniting the Arab population because he managed to unite Arab thought into being independent both in terms of within The Middle East and on the world stage. Nasser managed to gain Egypt and the concept of Arab nationalism an increased status through his running and appeal of Egypt. It could however be argued that hostility against Israel and the effects of this, as well as the fact that Arab unity was not exceptionally strong during this period may also have meant that his attempts to encourage Arab unity may have been unsuccessful.
It is clear to a large extent that between 1945 and 1970, Nasser was at least partially responsible for fuelling feelings of Arab nationalism in Egypt that caused other countries to wish to join him in his cause. Nasser rose to power when he overthrew the Egyptian government in 1952 following Egypt’s humiliating defeat during the War of Independence. In 1954, Nasser managed to negotiate less British control on the Suez Canal. The West, specifically Britain and the USA tried to convince Nasser and the Egyptians to move into an anti-Soviet alliance, The Baghdad Pact, in 1955. Instead, Nasser founded a radio channel, the ‘Voice of the Arabs’, which spread ideas about Arab nationalism by broadcasting them across the Arab world. In 1956, Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal, in order to show the world he was not aligned with any power: West or East. After securing arms from the Czechs, Nasser took control of the Canal in an anti-imperialist stance. Britain and France then used Israel to try and start a war with Egypt and to try and reclaim the Canal. Their actions were strongly condemned by the UN and the US, and they were forced to withdraw. This withdrawal made Nasser even more popular, convincing Syria to wish to unify with Egypt, which it did in 1958, forming the United Arab Republic. By standing up to perceived Western imperialism and refusing to align with either of the major powers during the height of the Cold War, Nasser managed to convince other Arabs that there was a hope for Pan-Arabism that all Arabs could unify together. As his actions and propaganda made Egypt and Syria unify in 1958, Nasser was the most important factor in encouraging Arab unity between 1945 and 1970.
Whilst it is clear that Nasser made a huge contribution to Arab unity in this period, feelings of hostility towards Israel may have also caused some unity within the Arab world, and eventually weakened Egypt and Nasser’s power. In two of the major wars in the Arab-Israeli conflict up to 1970, there was unity among Arab states in order to fight Israel. Israel was declared in 1948, and was immediately faced with conflict with the Arab League. The Arab League was set up in 1945, formed of Egypt, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan, and set about fighting against Israel. In the War of Independence in 1948/49, the Arab states attempted to destroy the newly created State of Israel. They were defeated. In 1964, the PLO was set up by Yasser Arafat, in order to try and liberate the refugees in Palestine, showing further Arab unity in the face of Israeli hostility. They fought again with Israel in 1967, during the Six Day War. However, once again, thanks to the USA, Israel had a military advantage and reflected all the attacks from Arab states. This was a huge blow to the Pan-Arab cause, as it showed that Egypt, previously a strong state, was now in ruins. As hostility in Israel unified the Arab cause, and showed the weaknesses of Nasser during this period, then Israel, not Nasser, may be the main cause of Arab unity between 1945 and 1970.
Whilst it could be said that Nasser did manage to cause some Arab unity, during this period, the Arabs were not necessarily unified in their aims. Whilst the ‘Voice of the Arab’s was broadcast across the Arab world, it did not encourage the Arabs to completely unify. Whilst they did fight together against Israel in the War of Independence and the Six Day War, they often had divided aims. For example, in 1958, after the formation of the UAR, tension began to rise between Egypt and Syria because they began to disagree because Syria began to feel inferior to Egypt. In 1961, Syrian forces issued a coup and the UAR split back into two separate countries. Iraq, who were invited to join the UAR in 1958, had declined this show of Arab unity in order to protect their own interests. Also, no other countries came to Egyptian aid during the Suez crisis, leaving them on their own. The PLO, established thanks to Nasser in 1964, were supported by some countries such as Syria and Jordan, whilst not by others. However, in 1970, Jordan turned and expelled the PLO from their country thanks to interference in the country. All of this meant the Arabs were not unified on any front, particularly after their humiliating defeat in the Six Day War by Israel in 1967. As some of Nasser’s actions to attempt to unify the Arab world did not succeed, and the Arabs were not as unified by 1970 as they were in 1945, Nasser’s actions were not the most important factor in encouraging Arab unity in this period.
In conclusion, Nasser’s actions were the most important in encouraging Arab unity between 1945 and 1970. He succeeded in unifying Egypt with Syria and encouraging Arabs by refusing to align with the Cold War powers and defying imperialism, more than any other Arab leader of the period. Whilst hostility towards Israel did unify the Arabs somewhat, the states were too different to fully unify in this period as they had different interests in the world, and different priorities. As Nasser did however do the most to try and produce unity amongst the Arabs, his actions were the most important factor, even if not the strongest, in encouraging Arab unity between 1945 and 1970.