Editing Gamal Abdel Nasser (section)

=== United Arab Republic ===
{{Main|United Arab Republic}}
[[File:Nasser announcing UAR.flac|thumb|right|Nasser's announcement of the United Arab Republic, 23 February 1958]]
[[File:1958-02-03 Egypt, Syria Merge In New Arab Republic.webm|thumb|right|Newsreel clip about Nasser and Quwatli's establishment of United Arab Republic]]

Despite his popularity with the people of the Arab world, by mid-1957 his only regional ally was Syria.<ref name="Dawisha191-2">{{Harvnb|Dawisha|2009|pp=191–192}}</ref> In September, [[Turkish army|Turkish troops]] massed along the Syrian border, giving credence to rumors that the Baghdad Pact countries [[Syrian Crisis of 1957|were attempting to topple Syria's leftist government]].<ref name="Dawisha191-2" /> Nasser sent a contingent force to Syria as a symbolic display of solidarity, further elevating his prestige in the Arab world, and particularly among Syrians.<ref name="Dawisha191-2" />

As political instability grew in Syria, delegations from the country were sent to Nasser demanding immediate unification with Egypt.<ref name="Dawisha193">{{Harvnb|Dawisha|2009|p=193}}</ref> Nasser initially turned down the request, citing the two countries' incompatible political and economic systems, lack of [[Geographic contiguity|contiguity]], the Syrian military's record of intervention in politics, and the deep factionalism among Syria's political forces.<ref name="Dawisha193" /> However, in January 1958, a second Syrian delegation managed to convince Nasser of an impending communist takeover and a consequent slide to civil strife.<ref name="Dawisha198">{{Harvnb|Dawisha|2009|p=198}}</ref> Nasser subsequently opted for union, albeit on the condition that it would be a total political merger with him as its president, to which the delegates and Syrian president [[Shukri al-Quwatli]] agreed.<ref name="Dawisha199">{{Harvnb|Dawisha|2009|pp=199–200}}</ref> On 1 February, the [[United Arab Republic]] (UAR) was proclaimed and, according to Dawisha, the Arab world reacted in "stunned amazement, which quickly turned into uncontrolled euphoria."<ref name="Dawisha200">{{Harvnb|Dawisha|2009|p=200}}</ref> Nasser ordered a crackdown against Syrian communists, dismissing many of them from their governmental posts.<ref name="Aburish151">{{Harvnb|Aburish|2004|pp=150–151}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Podeh|1999|pp=44–45}}</ref>

[[File:Presidents Gamal Abdul Nasser and Shukri al-Quwatli receiving Yemeni Crown Prince Mohammad Badr in Damascus in February 1958 congratulating them on formation of the United Arab Republic.jpg|thumb|left|alt=Three men sitting next to each other, two of whom are wearing suits and ties, with the man in the middle wearing a traditional robe and headdress.|Nasser seated alongside Crown Prince [[Muhammad al-Badr]] of North Yemen (center) and Shukri al-Quwatli (right), February 1958. North Yemen joined the UAR to form the [[United Arab States]], a loose confederation.]]

On a surprise visit to Damascus to celebrate the union on 24 February, Nasser was welcomed by crowds in the hundreds of thousands.<ref name="Dawisha202-3">{{Harvnb|Dawisha|2009|pp=202–203}}</ref> Crown Prince [[Imam Badr]] of North Yemen was dispatched to Damascus with proposals to include his country in the new republic. Nasser agreed to establish a loose federal union with Yemen—the [[United Arab States]]—in place of total integration.<ref name="Aburish158">{{Harvnb|Aburish|2004|p=158}}</ref> While Nasser was in Syria, King Saud planned to have him assassinated on his return flight to Cairo.<ref name="Dawisha190">{{Harvnb|Dawisha|2009|p=190}}</ref> On 4 March, Nasser addressed the masses in Damascus and waved before them the Saudi check given to Syrian security chief and, unbeknownst to the Saudis, ardent Nasser supporter [[Abdel Hamid Sarraj]] to shoot down Nasser's plane.<ref name="Aburish160-1">{{Harvnb|Aburish|2004|pp=160–161}}</ref> As a consequence of Saud's plot, he was forced by senior members of the Saudi royal family to informally cede most of his powers to his brother, [[Faisal of Saudi Arabia|King Faisal]], a major Nasser opponent who advocated [[pan-Islamism|pan-Islamic unity]] over pan-Arabism.<ref name="Aburish161-2">{{Harvnb|Aburish|2004|pp=161–162}}</ref>

A day after announcing the attempt on his life, Nasser established a new provisional constitution proclaiming a 600-member National Assembly (400 from Egypt and 200 from Syria) and the dissolution of all political parties.<ref name="Aburish161-2" /> Nasser gave each of the provinces two vice-presidents: Boghdadi and Amer in Egypt, and [[Sabri al-Asali]] and [[Akram al-Hawrani]] in Syria.<ref name="Aburish161-2" /> Nasser then left for Moscow to meet with [[Nikita Khrushchev]]. At the meeting, Khrushchev pressed Nasser to lift the ban on the Communist Party, but Nasser refused, stating it was an internal matter which was not a subject of discussion with outside powers. Khrushchev was reportedly taken aback and denied he had meant to interfere in the UAR's affairs. The matter was settled as both leaders sought to prevent a rift between their two countries.<ref>{{Harvnb|Aburish|2004|p=163}}</ref>

With the establishment of the United Arab Republic, the United States under President Eisenhower attempted to build better relations and initiate a rapprochement between the two countries, contrasting with the previously cautious stance of the American government towards Nasser.<ref name="RolandPopp2010" /> In particular, Nasser sought American assistance in his ideological cold war with [[Abd al-Karim Qasim|Abdel Karim Qasim]] in Iraq and his ideology of [[Qasimism]], which conflicted with Nasser's pan-Arab nationalism.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Yolcu |first=Furkan Halit |date=1 October 2020 |title=Building a Model While Debunking Another: The Rivalry of Arab Nationalism between 'Abd al-Karim Qasim and Gamal Abdel Nasser |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13537113.2020.1788696 |journal=Nationalism and Ethnic Politics |language=en |volume=26 |issue=3 |pages=319–335 |doi=10.1080/13537113.2020.1788696 |s2cid=222110461 |issn=1353-7113 |access-date=15 October 2023}}</ref> However, due to major ideological differences, no significant long-term working relationship developed between Nasser and Eisenhower.<ref name="RolandPopp2010">{{cite journal |last1=Popp |first1=Roland |date=10 September 2010 |title=Accommodating to a working relationship: Arab Nationalism and US Cold War policies in the Middle East, 1958–60 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14682741003686107 |journal=[[Cold War History (journal)|Cold War History]] |volume=10 |issue=3 |pages=397–427 |doi=10.1080/14682741003686107 |s2cid=153362433 |access-date=5 March 2023}}</ref>