Syria - Iraq merger in 1963

A defeated or no 1963 November coup

How powerful would a union between Iraq and Syria be

What would be the international and domestic Policies of a Baathist union of Syria and Iraq

Would this state do better against Israel
 
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A defeated or no 1963 November coup

How powerful would a union between Iraq and Syria be

What would be the international and domestic Policies of a Baathist union of Syria and Iraq

Would this state do better against Israel
It would be a mess of a country and there is no way such a union could persist! I cannot imagine most Iraqis and Syrians seeing themselves as part of a single country either. It would basically be exactly like the United Arab Republic and quickly dissolve. Also, it would solve none of the many serious and deep problems with Arab armies that made their performance so ineffective against Israel.
 
Depends when they are merged. I'd say the POD would be a slight change in the Sykes Picot agreement that wouldn't have separated Syria and Iraq in the first place, and keeping them united.
 
There are some possibilities, but there are no middle grounds.

Both are multi-religious, multi-ethnic arab states with internal centrifugal forces and distinct economies and infrastructures. In a sense, their commonalities are what drives them apart, they have the same strengths and same weaknesses, and so wouldn't necessarily complement each other.

One possible outcome would be that the more powerful state, probably Iraq, simply subjugates the weaker and turns it into an economic and social colony. The weaker state is reduced to a tail on the dog.

A better possibility would be a somewhat enlightened dictatorship which makes heavy investment in joint development and common infrastructure. A pipeline and highways and railroads from the Mediteranean to the Persian Gulf might be a huge advantage. The combined state of fifty to sixty million people, with the resource advantages, geographic positioning, a relatively educated population and the ability to capitalize on access to the mediteranean might even achieve first world levels of economic and social development.

The best outcome would be a non-dictatorship where diverse population and economic center prevent tyranny, and where democratic processes and political bargaining bring about joint development and common infrastructure.

The difficulty is the devolution and pursuit of autocracy. Dictatorships tend to coalesce around narrow power bases. The larger or more heterogenous society, the more difficult it is
 
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