WI: Arab Federation never dissolves

From Wikipedia:

"The Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan was a short-lived country that was formed in 1958 from the union of Iraq and Jordan. Although the name implies a federal structure, it was de facto a confederation.

The Federation was formed on 14 February 1958, when King Faisal II of Iraq and his cousin, King Hussein of Jordan, sought to unite their two Hashemite kingdoms, as a response to the formation of the United Arab Republic between Egypt and Syria. The union lasted only six months, being officially dissolved on 2 August 1958, after Faisal was deposed by a military coup on 14 July.
"

So what if the military coup had been thwarted and the Federation had remained together? Could they perhaps encourage the other Arab states to join? Would there be a mini-Cold War between the Federation and the UAR?
 
Basically. It was a counterweight to the UAR, and meant to hold off Nasser's growing influence.

Assuming the AF continues existing while the UAR continues as normal, we'd end up having the AF as a major bloc in the Middle East once the UAR dissolves. One would suspect, however, that Syria would remain a close ally to Egypt even after separation, out of fear of the AF.

The biggest problem facing the AF was that it's a Hashemite personal union with less emphasis on national and ethnic divisions. While they're all Arabs, the Jordanians would definitely have played second fiddle to the far bigger and richer Iraq, while the Shi'ites would be counterbalanced by a larger Sunni minority.
 
Top