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.
