Arab Nationalism in the Twentieth Century from Triumph: From Triumph to Despair

Publisher's description: Like a great dynasty that falls to ruin and is eventually remembered more for its faults than its feats, Arab nationalism is remembered mostly for its humiliating rout in the 1967 Six Day War, for inter-Arab divisions, and for words and actions distinguished by their meagerness. But people tend to forget the majesty that Arab nationalism once was. In this elegantly narrated and richly documented book, Adeed Dawisha brings this majesty to life through a sweeping historical account of its dramatic rise and fall. Dawisha argues that Arab nationalism--which, he says, was inspired by nineteenth-century German Romantic nationalism--really took root after World War I and not in the nineteenth century, as many believe, and that it blossomed only in the 1950s and 1960s under the charismatic leadership of Egypt's Gamal 'Abd al-Nasir. He traces the ideology's passage from the collapse of the Ottoman Empire through its triumphant ascendancy in the late 1950s with the unity of Egypt and Syria and with the nationalist revolution of Iraq, to the mortal blow it received in the 1967 Arab defeat by Israel, and its eventual eclipse. Dawisha criticizes the common failure to distinguish between the broader, cultural phenomenon of "Arabism" and the political, secular desire for a united Arab state that defined Arab nationalism. In recent decades competitive ideologies--not least, Islamic militancy--have inexorably supplanted the latter, he contends. Dawisha, who grew up in Iraq during the heyday of Arab nationalism, infuses his work with rare personal insight and extraordinary historical breadth. In addition to Western sources, he draws on an unprecedented wealth of Arab political memoirs and studies to tell the fascinating story of one of the most colorful and significant periods of the contemporary Arab world. In doing so, he also gives us the means to more fully understand trends in the region today "Like a great dynasty that falls to ruin and is eventually remembered more for its faults than its feats, Arab nationalism is remembered mostly for its humiliating rout in the 1967 Six Day War, for inter-Arab divisions, and for words and actions distinguished by their meagerness. But people tend to forget the majesty that Arab nationalism once was. In this book, Adeed Dawisha brings this majesty to life through a sweeping historical account of its dramatic rise and fall."--Jacket 0691122725......Page 1 9780691122724_1FM......Page 2 9780691122724_2CH1......Page 9 9780691122724_3CH2......Page 22 9780691122724_4CH3......Page 57 9780691122724_5CH4......Page 83 9780691122724_6CH5......Page 115 9780691122724_7CH6......Page 143 9780691122724_8CH7......Page 168 9780691122724_9CH8......Page 194 9780691122724_10CH9......Page 222 9780691122724_11CH10......Page 260 9780691122724_12CH11......Page 290 9780691122724_13BIB......Page 322 9780691122724_14IND......Page 338 The men and women of the nationalist generation who had sought the unity of the Arab people must have cast weary eyes at one another when they heard their acknowledge leader call a truce with those they considered to be anti-unionists; they must have dropped their heads and thrown their hands in the air when he announced the onset of a new era where "solidarity" among Arab states would replace the quest for a comprehensive political unity. Argues that Arab nationalism took root after World War I and not in the nineteenth century, and that it blossomed under the leadership of Egypt's Gamal 'Abd al-Nasir. This book criticizes the failure to distinguish between the cultural phenomenon of 'Arabism' and the political, secular desire for a united Arab state that defined Arab nationalism. Argues that Arab nationalism - which, the author says, was inspired by nineteenth-century German Romantic nationalism - really took root after World War I and not in the nineteenth century, as many believe, and that it blossomed only in the 1950s and 1960s under the charismatic leadership of Egypt's Gamal 'Abd al-Nasir. Adeed Dawisha. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [315]-330) And Index.