Arab Union

The Arab Union is a theoretical political union of the Arab states. The term was first used when the British Empire promised the Arabs a united independent state in return for revolting against the Ottoman Empire, with whom Britain was at war. It never came to fruition following the Sykes–Picot Agreement. Despite this, many in the Arab world have since called for the creation of a pan-Arab state. Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser made several unsuccessful attempts to unite Egypt with other Arab countries (including Iraq and North Yemen), and briefly succeeded in forming the United Arab Republic with Syria in 1958, which dissolved in 1971.[1]

Similar attempts were made by other Arab leaders, such as Hafez al-Assad, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, Faisal I of Iraq, Muammar Gaddafi, Saddam Hussein, Gaafar Nimeiry and Anwar Sadat.

Map of the Arab world
Middle East in 1958: United Arab Republic (red), United Arab States (red and light red), Arab Federation (green), British Kuwait (grass green), other British protectorates in the Persian Gulf (light green).
  1. ^ "Egypt, Syria Union Aim at Arab Unity". The San Francisco Examiner. Associated Press. February 2, 1958.