FROM THE FREE OFFICERS COUP TO THE ARAB-ISRAELI WAR OF 1967: THE RISE AND DEMISE OF THE RADICALIZATION TREND IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Yıl 2019, Sayı: 69, 169 - 194, 01.06.2019

Ayfer Erdoğan

Öz

The early 20th century witnessed the
ideological triumph of Arab nationalism and pan-Arabism in the Middle East with
the cultural and literary renaissance that rose in the region leading to a
collective consciousness as to the Arab identity among Arab intellectuals. It
was the Arab nation-identity rather than the individual Arab states’ identity
that shaped the political discourse of the then-Arab regimes. In addition, the
political juncture with the advent of anti-colonial movements in the region
following the Second World War set the stage for the radicalization trend of
the military regimes which aimed to unify Arab nations under one state and
carry out sweeping economic programs of modernization and centralization. On
the other hand, the defeat in the Arab-Israeli War of 1967 was a defining
historic moment in the reconfiguration of Arab politics in the Middle East.
Since the war, Arab states moved into a post-nationalist stage in which strict
ideological control and authoritarian policies were replaced with a set of
limited political and economic openings and the Arab-Israeli treaty. This
article investigates the birth and rise of the Arab nationalist movement along
with the ideological origins of the radicalization trend of the ruling regimes
in the Middle East. The article suggests that pan-Arabism, Arab socialism and
anti-imperialism gained momentum in the 1950s and 1960s with a number of
political developments under Egypt’s President Abd-al Nasser. Nevertheless, the
eventual decline of the radical regimes was witnessed with the 1967 Arab defeat
that inflicted a mortal blow to the Arab nationalist movement. From 1967
onwards, the regimes lost both their capability and aspirations to realize Arab
nationalist goals and in this era, state nationalism came to the forefront.

Cite this article as: Erdoğan, Ayfer, “From
the Free Officers Coup to the Arab-Israeli War of 1967: The Rise and Demise of
the Radicalization Trend in The Middle East”, Turk J Hist, issue 69 (2019),
p.169-194.

Anahtar Kelimeler

Arab nationalism, pan-Arabism, Arab socialism, radicalization, demise, Arab-Israeli War of 1967

HÜR SUBAYLAR DARBESİNDEN 1967 ARAP-İSRAİL SAVAŞINA: ORTA DOĞU'DA RADİKALLEŞME EĞİLİMİNİN YÜKSELİŞİ VE ÇÖKÜŞÜ

Öz

20. yüzyılın başı bölgede yükselen kültürel
ve edebi rönesansın Arap entellektüelleri arasında Arap kimliğine dair kolektif
bir bilinci ortaya çıkarmasıyla birlikte Orta Doğu Arab milliyetçiliği ve
pan-Arabizmin ideolojik zaferine sahne olmuştur. Münferit Arap devletlerinin
kimliklerinden ziyade Arab ulusu kimliği o dönemdeki Arap rejimlerinin siyasi
söylemlerine şekil vermiştir. Bunun yanısıra, İkinci Dünya Savaşı sonrası
bölgede koloni karşıtı hareketlerin yükselişi ile ortaya çıkan siyasi
konjonktür, Arap milletlerini tek bir devlet altında birleştirmeyi ve modernleşme
ve merkezileştirmeye yönelik ekonomik programları hayata geçirmeyi hedefleyen
askeri rejimlerin radikalleşme eğilimleri için zemin hazırlamıştır. Diğer
yandan, 1967 Arap-İsrail savaşı Orta Doğu’da Arap siyasetinin yeniden
şekillenmesinde belirleyici tarihsel bir dönüm noktası olmuştur, çünkü bu
savaştan sonra Arap ülkeleri, katı bir ideolojik kontrolün ve otoriter
politikaların yerini bir dizi sınırlı siyasi ve ekonomik açılımın ve İsrail’le
müzakere ve anlaşmaların aldığı yeni bir döneme geçmiştir. Bu makale Arap
milliyetçiliğinin doğuşu, yükselişi ve Orta Doğu’da hüküm süren rejimlerin
radikalleşme eğiliminin ideolojik temellerini incelemektedir. Makaleye göre,
Pan-Arabizm, Arap sosyalizmi ve emperyalizm karşıtlığı Mısır Cumhurbaşkanı
Abdülnasır döneminde bir dizi siyasi gelişme ile birlikte ivme kazanmıştır.
Diğer yandan, radikal rejimlerin nihai çöküşü Arap milliyetçiliği hareketine
ölümcül bir darbe vuran 1967 savaşında Araplar’ın yenilgisi ile
gerçekleşmiştir. 1967’yi takip eden süreçte, bu rejimler Arab milliyetçiliği
hedeflerini gerçekleştirmek için yeterliliklerini ve isteklerini
kaybetmişlerdir ve bu dönemde devlet milliyetçiliği öne çıkmıştır.

Cite this article as: Erdoğan, Ayfer, “From
the Free Officers Coup to the Arab-Israeli War of 1967: The Rise and Demise of
the Radicalization Trend in The Middle East”, Turk J Hist, issue 69 (2019),
p.169-194.

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