| ID | 125600 |
| Title Proper | 1958 reconsidered |
| Other Title Information | state formation and the cold war in the early postcolonial arab middle east |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Schayegh, Cyrus |
| Publication | 2013. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Using Arabic, English, and French sources, and engaging Middle East and Cold War historians, this article makes a threefold argument. First, in United Arab Republic (UAR)-Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon, the 1958-59 explosion of domestic and regional tensions triggered state-formation surges. Second, these formed one process, which made those states more alike, with state-led socioeconomic planning playing a key role. Third, that process partook of a global Third World trend intersecting with the early Cold War. I draw three conclusions. Although existing scholarly readings that the events of 1958-59 in the Arab Middle East formed a crisis but not an ideological or political watershed are correct, from the viewpoint of state formation this crisis was a milestone. Moreover, UAR-Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon had persisting affinities and shared regional positions-notably, the fact that all were sandwiched between the unstable poles of the Arab state system, Iraq and Egypt-that shaped their individual postindependence histories of state formation. Last, Washington's low-profile involvement in this state-formation surge illustrates how domestic sociopolitics and regional geopolitics-including the UAR's peaking popularity and influence in 1958-59-affected U.S. policy in the Cold War postcolonial world. |
| `In' analytical Note | International Journal of Middle East Studies Vol.45, No.3; 2013: p.421-443 |
| Journal Source | International Journal of Middle East Studies Vol.45, No.3; 2013: p.421-443 |
| Key Words | Middle East ; Arab ; Cold War ; History ; United Arab Republic (UAR) ; Socioeconomic planning ; Arab Middle East ; Postcolonial World ; US Policy ; 1958-59 ; Sociopolitics ; Geopolitics |