Pan-Arabism before Nasser Egyptian Power Politics and the Palestine Question

by Doran, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780195123616
• ISBN10: 0195123611
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1999-02-25
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

This book aims to alter profoundly the accepted version of the history of post-World War II Egyptian foreign policy. To this end, Doran convincingly demonstrates the absence of any true pan-Arab front from the very beginning of the Arab League. Reconsidering Cairo's policy decisions during the critical years from 1944 to 1948, he proves that Egyptian national interests were always placed before the united Arab front against Israel. Even while participating in the 1948 war with Israel, Egypt regarded Zionism and the Palestine Question as less important than achieving independence from Britain and thwarting the expansionist aims of Iraq and Jordan. Ultimately, this study is a bold rethinking of twentieth-century Middle Eastern politics and history, with key implications for both the study of the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict and the volatile politics of the Middle East in general.

Author Biography

Michael Doran is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Central Florida.

Table of Contents

A Note on Transliteration and Terminology	x
Introduction	3	(6)
ONE The Taproot of Egyptian Foreign Policy	9	(35)
TWO In the American Era	44	(22)
THREE The Keystone in the Arch	66	(28)
FOUR Palestine between the Regional Blocs	94	(34)
FIVE The Decision to Intervene	128	(28)
SIX War and Containment	156	(37)
Conclusion	193	(4)
Notes	197	(24)
Bibliography	221	(6)
Index	227