Arab Unification

In this pathway so far, we've talked a lot about Arab movements, like the Arab Revolt in 1916, and the various coalitions of Arab countries that have gone to war against Israel. Now, it's time to look at the ideology that powered these movements: something called Arab Nationalism.

Arab Nationalism advocates for the political unity of Arab people and countries. This ideology is rooted in the belief that all Arabs, regardless of their individual nationalities, share a common cultural and historical heritage.

The Arabic language, in particular, is an important unifying factor, serving as a symbol of shared identity and a tool for political mobilization. Sati’ al-Husri, one of the 20th Century’s foremost Arab Nationalist thinkers, wrote that 'People who spoke a unitary language, have one heart and a common soul.'

The birth of Arab Nationalism is often associated with the Nahda, or Arab Renaissance, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

This was a period of intellectual and cultural revival, during which Arab scholars and intellectuals began to articulate ideas of Arab unity and independence.

The early development of Arab Nationalism was influenced by the desire for independence from Ottoman rule. As the Ottoman Empire weakened, Arab intellectuals began to call for self-determination and political autonomy.

This desire for independence was a key driving force behind the emergence of Arab Nationalism.

Despite the fact that they managed to throw off their Ottoman rulers after World War One, the situation only got worse for Arab nationalists.

The Middle East was claimed by European powers, who proceeded to divide it into arbitrary territories, which went totally against the nationalist dream of a unified Arab nation.

Things improved after World War Two, though, when the European colonial powers withdrew from the Middle East. As we've already talked about, this was a major turning point for Israel-Palestine, but it was also an important turning point for Arab Nationalism.

The withdrawal of Europe saw countries like Egypt, Syria, and Iraq all regain their independence. This was exactly the kind of moment that Arabs had been waiting for.

In the 1950s, a charismatic figure named Gamal Abdel Nasser became president of Egypt. He was a big proponent of Arab Nationalism, and dreamed of a powerful, unified Arab state.

He also wanted to push for greater Arab autonomy on the international stage. Yes, the European colonial nations had officially withdrawn from the Middle East, but their influence could still be felt.

The Suez Canal was an important example of lingering European influence. This important canal allowed ships to travel back-and-forth between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. And, while the canal officially ran through Egyptian territory, it was still owned by European shareholders.

In 1956, President Nasser made a bold move. He declared that the Suez Canal was no longer the property of European shareholders; instead, he was nationalizing this body of water, giving Egypt total control.

European nations, like Britain and France, were furious. But they didn't know how to retaliate. If they sent troops to Egypt, it would be frowned upon by the international community.

In the end, they drew up a secret plan with Israel. In this plan, Israel would launch an attack on Egypt. When Egypt tried to defend itself, and a military conflict officially broke out, Britain and France would send in some troops on an official peace-keeping mission.

When they got there... these peace-keeping troops would also try to reclaim the Suez Canal.

The Suez Crisis, as this event became known, was one of the most significant geopolitical events of the 20th century.

Thousands of people were killed in the clash between Egyptian forces, and the allied powers of Israel, Britain and France.

But the secret plan to reclaim the canal didn't even work. The international community saw right through it, and demanded that Britain, France and Israel immediately withdraw their troops.

These countries reluctantly agreed, leaving the Suez Canal in Egyptian hands. This was a significant milestone in Arab Nationalism's journey towards independence and sovereignty. It marked the end of foreign control over a crucial resource, and symbolized the rise of an Arab country as a significant player in the region.

Two years after the Suez Crisis, Nasser's next big step toward Arab Nationalism was the United Arab Republic.

This was a political union between Egypt and Syria, which was unveiled in 1958. The union was actually Syria's idea – delegations from the country proposed it to Nasser, who agreed on the condition that he would be the leader of this unified state.

This union was the very first time that the ideals of Arab unity and independence had been turned into a political reality. According to historian Adeed Dawisha, the Arab world reacted in "stunned amazement, which quickly turned into uncontrolled euphoria."

Unfortunately for proponents of Arab Nationalism, the United Arab Republic did not last for long.

The Syrians felt short changed by the union – Egypt was doing better than them economically, politically and militarily. Some of the Syrians blamed this on Nasser, who seemed to be prioritizing Egypt (his home country) over Syria.

In 1961, just three years after the United Arab Republic's formation, the Syrian military launched a coup d’état.

Nasser might have retaliated, but he did not want to encourage fighting between Arabs. Instead, he accepted the dissolution of the United Arab Republic. This was a major blow for Arab Nationalists, who never again got so close to their dream of a single, unified state.

In the late 20th century, Arab Nationalism had to compete with the rise of another new movement: Pan-Islamism. While both of these movements wanted to define the identity of the Arab world, they did so from different perspectives.

As we've already talked about, Arab Nationalism emphasized unity on the basis of a shared culture. Pan-Islamism, on the other hand, emphasized unity on the basis of a shared religion. Its goal was also a unified state, but an Islamic state, not an Arab one.

Its rise can be traced, in part, to the failure of the United Arab Republic. That project suggested that secular unity was doomed to fail, so some Arabs turned to religious unity instead.

Pan-Islamism is often intertwined with a rejection of Western cultural ideals, which might be seen as a deviation from traditional Islamic principles. And in certain cases, anti-Western sentiment has been taken to extremes.

In 1988, an organization named al-Qaeda was founded in Afghanistan. This group launched a series of violent attacks against the United States, who were seen as the ultimate symbol of Western culture.

The most devastating of these was on September 11th 2001, when hijacked planes were flown into the World Trade Center in New York, and the Pentagon in Virginia. This single attack caused the death of almost 3000 American civilians.

Extremist Islamic organizations do not represent the Pan-Islamist movement as a whole. Even less do they represent followers of Islam, the vast majority of whom are horrified by extremist attacks. This is an important distinction to make: Pan-Islamism and Islam are not the same.

But even though they're a minority, these groups have still become a fundamental part of the modern Middle Eastern landscape. Not just al-Qaeda, but also the Taliban in Afghanistan, and the Islamic State (often known as ISIS) which originally formed in Iraq.

In many ways, they are a product of decades of Western interference in the region. Arab Nationalism was one attempt to mend the damage this interference caused. Islamism is another attempt – with extremist groups using violent terrorism as a way to further their cause.

Arab Nationalism seeks to unify the people of the Middle East based on cultural similarities. Pan-Islamism has a similar objective, but takes a religious angle. And there's one more approach to Middle Eastern unity which we haven't talked about yet: economic.

At the beginning of the 20th century, oil was discovered in this region. First in Persia (now Iran) in 1908, then again in Saudi Arabia in 1938. In later years, more oil was discovered in other nearby countries, like Iraq, Iran, Kuwait, and the area now known as the United Arab Emirates.

This is part of the reason why foreign powers have shown so much interest in the Middle East. The region was thrust into the global spotlight – oil is one of the most sought after resources on Earth.

The Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) was established in 1968 by Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Libya.

This organization wasn't the grand, Arab super-state envisioned by Arab Nationalists. But it can be viewed as another approach to Arab unity and autonomy. OAPEC aimed to coordinate and control petroleum policies among its Member Countries. This was a significant departure from the previous system, where prices were largely determined by Western companies.

An important moment in the history of OAPEC was the 1973 oil embargo. This was a strategic decision to pause oil exports to Western countries, as a punishment for the fact that these countries had provided military aid to Israel during the Yom Kippur War. This embargo triggered an energy crisis in these Western nations, and emphasized the power of OAPEC on the global stage.

Another union of nations, in 1972, saw seven small Middle Eastern kingdoms (Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Fujairah, Sharjah, Dubai, Umm al-Quwain and Ras al-Khaimah) officially come together as a single country: the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The UAE is another example of a Middle Eastern country with oil reserves – and it has amassed a lot of wealth by trading these reserves with other parts of the world. The UAE, along with countries like Saudi Arabia, are sometimes referred to as 'petrostates', as a mark of the importance of oil and petroleum in their economies.

In recent years, these petrostates have used their oil wealth to fund some extravagant projects. The UAE, for example, built the Burj Khalifa – the tallest building on the planet. This extravagance marks a significant shift for a nation which was relatively poor and humble just a century ago.

The Middle Eastern oil boom may have brought some examples of Arab unity, but it has also been a major cause of division.

The strategic importance of oil, coupled with the region's complex political and ethnic dynamics, has made it a flashpoint for conflicts. The Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and the Gulf War (1990-1991) are notable examples of this. These wars were driven (in part) by territorial disputes, as neighboring nations fought for control over oil reserves and the massive revenues they generate.

These conflicts caused immense human suffering to Arab nations. The Iran-Iraq war, for example, left more than a million people dead.

Moving forward, the future of oil is uncertain, as the world increasingly focuses on renewable energy, and seeks to mitigate the impacts of climate change. This shift towards cleaner energy sources poses challenges for oil-producing countries, as it could lead to a decline in demand for oil and a fall in oil prices.

However, these countries still have time to adapt. Saudi Arabia, for example, has made clean energy a central tenet of its Vision 2030: a plan to diversify the Saudi economy and prepare for a post-oil future.

It remains to be seen what will happen to unions like the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC) in a post-oil world.