Arab nationalism

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Arab nationalism is a nationalist ideology common with Arabs in the 20th century.[1] It is based on the premise that nations from Morocco to the Arabian peninsula are united by their common linguistic, cultural and historical heritage.[2] Pan-Arabism is a related concept, which calls for the creation of a single Arab state, but not all Arab nationalists are also Pan-Arabists. Arab independence refers to the concept of the removal or minimization of direct Western influence in the Middle East, and the dissolution of regimes in the Arab world which are considered to be dependent upon favorability with the West to the detriment of their local populations.

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[edit] The rise of Arab nationalism

The political orientation of Arab nationalists in the years prior to the First World War was generally moderate. Their demands were of a reformist nature, limited in general to autonomy within the Ottoman Empire, greater use of Arabic in education, and local service in peacetime for Arab conscripts to the imperial army. Some radicalisation followed the 1908 revolution in the empire and the Turkicisation programme imposed by the new Committee of Union and Progress (CUP, often known as the Young Turks) government. However, Arab nationalism was not yet a mass movement, even in Syria where it was strongest - one of the key elements of early Arab Nationalism was the desire for a 'Greater Syria' that incorporated Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine. Many Arabs gave their primary loyalty to their religion or sect, their tribe, or their own particular governments. The ideologies of Ottomanism and Pan-Islamism were strong competitors of Arab nationalism.

In 1913, Arab intellectuals and some politicians met in Paris at the first Arab Congress. They produced a set of demands for greater autonomy within the Ottoman Empire. They also requested that Arab conscripts to the Ottoman army not be required to serve in other regions except in time of war.

During World War I, the British designed and produced a flag representing Arab nationalism. Mark Sykes created the black, white, green, and red banner, variations of which can still be seen in the flags of a number of Arab states. It was originally created for King Hussein's Hejaz forces.[3]

Nationalist sentiments became more prominent during the collapse of Ottoman authority. The brutal repression of the secret societies in Damascus and Beirut by Jamal Pasha, who executed patriotic intellectuals in 1915 and 1916, strengthened anti-Turkish feeling, while the British, for their part, incited the Sharif of Mecca to launch the Arab Revolt during the First World War. The Ottomans were defeated and the rebel forces, loyal to the Sharif's son Faysal ibn Abd Allah entered Damascus in 1918. Arab unity then saw its first failed attempt with the establishment of the short-lived Kingdom of Syria under Faysal.

During the war the British had been a major sponsor of Arab nationalist thought and ideology, as a weapon to use against the power of the Ottoman Empire. However, the secret Sykes-Picot Agreement between Britain and France provided for the division of the eastern Arab lands between the two imperial powers. During the interwar years and the British Mandate period, when Arab lands were under French and British colonial control, Arab nationalism became an important anti-colonial opposition movement against British rule.

Important Arab nationalist thinkers in the inter-war period included Amin al-Rihani, Constantin Zureiq, Zaki al-Arsuzi, Michel Aflaq and Sati' al-Husri. Competing ideologies included Islamism and local nationalism, notably the Lebanese nationalism promoted by various, predominantly Christian, thinkers and politicians in that country, and the Greater Syrian nationalism developed most notably by Antun Saadeh, which gained a certain adherence in Syria and Lebanon. Communism also became a significant ideological force, first and most notably in Iraq, but later also in Syria and to a certain extent in Egypt. However, while generally hostile for pragmatic reasons to specific pan-Arab political projects, Arab communism was not altogether incompatible with the general demands of nationalism.

Gamal Abdul Nasser, the leader of Egypt, was a significant player in the rise of Arab Nationalism. Opposed to the British control of the Suez Canal Zone and concerned at Egypt becoming a Cold War battleground Nasser pushed for a collective Arab security pact within the framework of the Arab League. A key aspect of this was the need for economic aid that was not dependent on peace with Israel and the establishment of US or British military bases within Arab countries.

Nasser nationalised the Suez Canal and directly challenged the dominance of the Western powers in the region. At the same time he opened Egypt up as a Cold War zone by receiving aid and arms shipments from the USSR that were not dependent on treaties, bases and peace accords. However, because of the connotations for Cold War dominance of the region, Egypt also received aid from the US, who sought to promote the emerging Arab Nationalism as a barrier to communism.

[edit] Attempts for State Unity

During the 20th century, the rivalry between Syria and Egypt for preeminence undermined the process of uniting the Arab world.[4] In 1958, the states of Egypt and Syria temporarily joined to create a new nation, the United Arab Republic. It was accompanied by attempts to include North Yemen in the union. This very exercise, while fostering Egypt's position at the centre of Arab politics, led to the weakening of Syria. With the Iraqi revolution taking place in the same year, Western powers feared the fallouts of a powerful Arab Nationalism in the region. Foreign powers were not only concerned about the possible spread of such revolutionary movements in other Arab states, but also worried about losing the control and monopoly over the region's natural oil resources. However, due to discontent over the hegemony of Egypt and after a coup in Syria that introduced a more radical government to power, the UAR (United Arab Republic) collapsed in 1961; leaving room for Egyptian hegemony,under the leadership of President Gamal Abdal Nasser. The term United Arab Republic continued to be used in Egypt until 1971, after the death of Nasser.

In 1972, Muammar al-Qaddafi attempted to unite Libya, Egypt and Syria to form the Federation of Arab Republics. This loose union lasted until 1977 due to political and territorial disputes between the republics' leadership. In 1974, Muammar al-Qaddafi and Habib Bourgiba attempted their two nations of Libya and Tunisia to form the Arab Islamic Republic. The plan was rejected by Bourgiba due to his realization of unity of the Maghreb states. This would later become the Arab Maghreb Union.

[edit] Ba'athism

Michel Aflaq.
Michel Aflaq.

Arab nationalists generally rejected religion as a main element in political identity, and promoted the unity of Arabs regardless of sectarian identity. However, the fact that most Arabs were Muslims was used by some as an important building block in creating a new Arab national identity.

An example of this was Michel Aflaq, founder along with Salah al-Din al-Bitar and Zaki al-Arsuzi of the Ba'th Party. Aflaq, though himself a Christian, viewed Islam as a testament to the "Arab genius", and once said "Muhammed was the epitome of all the Arabs. So let all the Arabs today be Muhammed." Since the Arabs had reached their greatest glories through the expansion of Islam, Islam was seen as a universal message as well as an expression of secular genius on the part of the Arab peoples. Islam had given the Arabs a "glorious past", which was very different from the "shameful present". In effect the troubles of the Arab present were because the Arabs had diverged from their "eternal and perfect symbol", Islam. The Arabs needed to have a "renaissance": the meaning of the word ba'th.

Throughout the Middle East, regional nationalisms and allegiances to the post-World War I states such as Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq partly compete and partly coexist with broader Arab nationalism. In Lebanon, for instance, the identity of "Arab" is rejected by some Lebanese nationalist groups (especially Maronite), since 40% of Lebanon follows Christianity. Definitions of "Arab" sometimes vary; see Arab.

[edit] Arab nationalist thinkers

[edit] Prominent Arab nationalist heads of state

[edit] See also

[edit] Further reading

[edit] References

  1. ^ Charles Smith,The Arab-Israeli Conflict,in International Relations in the Middle East by Louise Fawcett,p22O
  2. ^ Ibid.
  3. ^ Fromkin, David (1989). A Peace to End All Peace: The Fall of the Ottoman Empire and the Creation of the Modern Middle East. New York: Henry Holt and Company, LLC, pp. 315. ISBN 0-8050-6884-8. 
  4. ^ Charles Smith. "The Arab-Israeli Conflict". (International Relations of the Middle East by Louise Fawcett), p. 220.

[edit] Sources

  • Hinnebusch, Raymond (2003). The International Politics of the Middle East. Manchester University Press. 
  • Humphreys, R. Stephen (2005). Between Memory and Desire: The Middle East in a Troubled Age. University of California Press. 
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_nationalism"
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