Could the United Arab Republic have survived?

watching the diverging path of Syria and Egypt this last week, I wonder if the failed union between the two could have survived at all. I know Nasser dreamed of expanding the UAR to include countries like Algeria, Yemen, Libya and Iraq (which all had quasi-Baathist leadership in the late 60s), but in the end it never got past a breif failed union with Syria. So what do you all think? How could it have worked? How could it have expanded to include more countries?
 
It nearly included Iraq. Had that happened, Syria and Iraq could have fought against Egyptian hegemony and it could have been a more balanced union. The union also might have been revived between just Iraq and Syria in the 1970s and 80s but Saddam put a stop to that with his coup.

The biggest I could see it would have it include Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Jordan, and Tunisia. The last two are definitely a stretch.
 

yourworstnightmare

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The whole UAR was a ruse by the succesful Pan- Arab leaders seeing their ideology work. Iraq and Yemen both were interested in joining for a time. But quite quickly all these countries realized they had their own interests, and they could not trust their Arab brothers to look out for them. And thus Pan- Arabism fell as quickly as it had been born.
 
It nearly included Iraq. Had that happened, Syria and Iraq could have fought against Egyptian hegemony and it could have been a more balanced union. The union also might have been revived between just Iraq and Syria in the 1970s and 80s but Saddam put a stop to that with his coup.

The biggest I could see it would have it include Iraq, Libya, Sudan, Jordan, and Tunisia. The last two are definitely a stretch.

Arif who was in power for a time in Iraq vetoed it.

His successors were not enthused by the prospects either.

The issues with Syria would need to be worked out for Iraq to join, it wouldn't be an issue of Iraq joining with the hopes of changing it, it would be an issue of Iraq joining it when it has changed.
 
Arif who was in power for a time in Iraq vetoed it.

His successors were not enthused by the prospects either.

The issues with Syria would need to be worked out for Iraq to join, it wouldn't be an issue of Iraq joining with the hopes of changing it, it would be an issue of Iraq joining it when it has changed.
I think both could occur, it just requires foresight by Arif... which is implausible. :rolleyes: Arif needs to go.
 
I think both could occur, it just requires foresight by Arif... which is implausible. :rolleyes: Arif needs to go.

Or be convinced that the UAR was worth his time, as in be convinced that Iraq would have a fair say in such a pact.

OTL, he was right on the money and it turned out to be a failure.
 
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