Colonial Effects by Massad Joseph & Massad Joseph

Author:Massad, Joseph & Massad, Joseph [Massad, Joseph]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Published: 2001-09-11T00:00:00+00:00

Palace Repression and the Forgiving King

Jordanian anticolonial nationalists saw themselves as part of a general Arab anticolonial nationalist movement and believed that Jordan could not survive outside of a future federation among Arab states. The palace espoused a different kind of Arab nationalism, one inspired by the anti-Turkish revolt during World War I, spearheaded by the Hashemites. Therefore, both parties spoke the language of Arab nationalism, although each accused the other of being an agent for foreign powers. For the anticolonial nationalists, palace men and their allies were collaborators with British and U.S. imperialism, whereas for the palace, the anticolonial nationalists were instruments of ‘Abd al-Nasir’s hegemonic plans and Soviet communism, which King Husayn had called a “new kind of imperialism.” 182 For King Husayn, “Nasser’s Arab nationalism was taking the place of pure Arab nationalism,” 183 and those who supported ‘Abd al-Nasir’s version in Jordan constituted, for him, a national threat to the homeland. He called on “ostracizing the party which almost blew away [our] independence and destroyed [our] being.” 184

Following the palace coup, which rid the country of internal threats to the prevailing order, the situation in the Arab world was changing so rapidly that the king and his triumphant advisors were becoming more worried about external threats. The unification of Egypt and Syria in what became known as the United Arab Republic was declared on February 1, 1958, to the consternation of the anti-‘Abd al-Nasir rulers in Amman. The regime opted for an immediate federal union with Hashemite Iraq (one that had been long sought by Iraqi strongman Nuri al-Sa‘id) dubbed the Arab Federation (al-Ittihad al-‘Arabi) and signed on February 14, 1958. 185 According to the bylaws of the federation, the Jordanian Arab Army was to be united with its Iraqi counterpart. The unified armies were to be called the Arab Army, although each would keep its separate identity in its respective state. 186 On March 29, 1958, the two countries issued a federal constitution called the Constitution of the Arab Federation. 187 The federal constitution was open to other Arab countries wishing to join. King Faysal of Iraq (Husayn’s cousin) was appointed the president of the federation, and during his absence, King Husayn would be the president. 188 The Arab Federation, which was more of a confederation, had a short life. The Iraqi revolution in July 1958 (led by Iraqi army officers) violently eliminated the royal family (and the visiting Jordanian prime minister, Ibrahim Hashim, who had declared martial law the year before in the country) and declared a republic. The rulers of Jordan panicked. The king asked for immediate British and U.S. help to maintain his throne. Four thousand British troops landed in Jordan while U.S. soldiers landed in Beirut. U.S. planes also helped transport oil to Jordan, after it was surrounded on all sides by enemies (the rapprochement with the Saudis, the Hashemites’ historic enemies, who had been allied with ‘Abd al-Nasir against the Baghdad Pact, had not yet fully taken place). The British soldiers remained in the country until November 2, 1958.

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