Hashemite branches of Iraq and Jordan planned unification just before coup. So if there not be coup, we might see united Hashemite kingdom. And we might see more stable Middle East.
The union would be under Faisal II and would be pretty powerful. interesting...
What would have happened to Hussein?
I don't know anything about Faisal's personality but I find it hard to believe that Hussein would have been able to cope being #2.
What would have happened to Hussein?
I don't know anything about Faisal's personality but I find it hard to believe that Hussein would have been able to cope being #2.
IIRC from a biography of King Hussein I read a while back, the plan called for a rotating premiership with Iraq going first for seniority reasons.
So co-monarchs?
Effectively so, but only one would be in charge at any one time.
Interesting system. Do you think it and the Iraqi monarchy could last?
How exactly would the union of Iraq and Jordan be significantly more powerful than Iraq on its own was? Jordan even today is a nation of only 6 million people with no signifigant natural resources and almost no industrial base; its GDP is the 90th largest in the world (just slightly larger than Latvia’s) and much of that is generated by providing services to western Iraq.The union would be under Faisal II and would be pretty powerful. interesting...
I think it might require a PoD in the late 40s or early 50s. It's possible, but an uphill struggle.
What PoD? Maybe a nationalist revolution that leaves Faisal as a figurehead(though that's against the OP)?
I'll make the assumption that the 48 war still goes as OTL. At this point I think the easiest route would be in the 1953-55 period. Faisal II reached his majority in 53, so perhaps have him fall out with Nuri as-Said and move to renegotiate the Anglo-Iraqi treaty of 1948- easiest thing to do would be to cancel the joint defence board and reduce the provision for the other matters (perhaps 15 years rather than 25?) Having negotiations for the creation of the Baghdad pact fail in 1955 would also help (these two treaties really formed the rallying points for those among the Arab nationalists who felt that Iraq was too beholden to the west). Potentially this could then offer Faisal the opportunity to form the Arab Federation and move to end the remaining Anglo-Iraq treaty provisions earlier as part of the post-Suez issues (though avoiding Suez in and of itself would be beneficial), and if it moved to a non-aligned but generally somewhat pro-west position that would probably help matters.
Obviously there's still a lot of internal matters to deal with, but foreign policy was one of the major drivers for the 1958 revolution.
Iraq-Jordan would be a strong ally of the West with lots of oil.
Does this go hand in hand with discussions about Farouk staying King of Egypt?