1963: The Spring of Hope for the Ba῾t

Abstract

In 1963 events elsewhere in the Arab world began to move swiftly under pressures from the underlying Arab nationalist forces. On 8 February the Iraqi dictator ῾Abd al-Karīm Qāsim was overthrown and shot in a coup led by the Ba῾tists and Ǧamāl ῾Abd an-Nāsir’s admirer ῾Abd as-Salām ῾Ārif was installed as president. The new tide soon overwhelmed the weak Syrian regime, which collapsed under the joint pressure from Baghdad and Cairo. Here also the Ba῾tists took over in alliance with Nāsirists and other Arab unionist groups. Both the new Iraqi and Syrian regimes pledged themselves to support the new movement of Arab unity. Iraqi and Syrian ministers arrived in Cairo in scenes of great popular enthusiasm for reconciliation meetings with Ǧamāl ῾Abd an-Nāsir. This seemed to be another moment of great triumph for Ǧamāl ῾Abd an-Nāsir, since there were now five of “liberated Arab states” sharing similar aims and ideals. Syria and Iraq had agreed to start immediate negotiations for the formation of a federal union.