A 'Window of Opportunity': Iraq’s Place in the Levant (original) (raw)

Arab nationalism failed due to the numerous divisions inhibiting the Fertile Crescent. Be it ethnic, political, social, or religious factors, states promoted unity but in practice there were too many internal divisions to achieve a real unity. 1 An articulated resume of the factors is included in Reflections on Arab Nationalism, by Efraim Karsh & Inari Karsh: 'Some have attributed this failure to the incompatibility of the Western concepts of statehood and nationalism with the Middle Eastern reality; others, to the machinations of Western imperialism which (allegedly) carved the Middle East in the wake of the First World War into artificial entities in accordance with its self-serving interests and in complete disregard of the wishes and needs of the 'Arab nation'; still others, to the selfish narrowmindedness of the individual Arab regimes; to the lack of social, economic, political, and at times religious self-awareness among the Arab elites and masses alike; or to the transformation of the Middle Eastern international system over the past few decades in general, and the vicissitudes of the Arab-Israeli conflict in particular'. 2 While this overview may conjure several areas of debate, tackling the question-a window of opportunity-in essence refers to this possibility for change posed by the toppling of traditional monarchies and the substitution with a fervent pan-Arabism. As a starting point this essay will seek to analyse the meaning, protagonists, and manifestations of Arab unity. There is scant consensus over the term. Darwish defines pan-Arabism as a 'political unity between the Arab countries in the Middle East'. 3 Therefore, does this render the ideology a dud for the