Word: nasserism
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: during 1970-1979
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...Nasser's last rites were the final confirmation of the immense influence he had exerted in Egypt?and beyond. His death unstabilizes an area that has become the most volatile in the world. Beyond the continual coups, the constant bickering and the incessant intrigues were two related problems: the civil war in Jordan between Palestinian guerrillas and King Hussein's Bedouin-backed government, and the long-festering war with Israel. Just before Nasser's death, a number of Egyptians were voicing cautious optimism about the prospects for peace. "We can't go on like this," said a leader of Egypt...
...even as Egypt ponders the problem of belligerency with Israel, it faces a more immediate concern?the selection of Nasser's successor (see box). Under the Egyptian constitution, Vice President Anwar Sadat becomes Acting President. Within 60 days, the National Assembly must nominate a President and submit his name to a referendum...
Whoever emerges as the successor, one thing is certain: though he will be in formal command of the most populous (33.5 million) and powerful country in the Arab world, he will enjoy only a fraction of the authority that Nasser wielded. The key question is whether he will be sufficiently strong to resist Arab pressure to resume the war with Is rael. Nasser had been well aware of this dilemma. A few years ago, he told a British biographer, David Wynne-Morgan: "I categorically do not want to go to war with Israel. But any Arab leader who says...
...Atmosphere Complicating the situation is the vast Soviet presence that has been established in Egypt, not to mention the rest of the Middle East. There are between 12,000 and 15,000 Russians in Egypt? from economists and engineers to missile technicians and MIG pilots? and any successor to Nasser will have to keep them in mind when he deals with Israel. Sovietologists do not believe that Russia wants all-out war with Israel, but they point out that "controlled
...tension," not peace, guarantees a sizable role for Moscow in the Middle East. Premier Kosygin and the high-powered four-man delegation of military and Middle East experts who accompanied him to Cairo were not there merely to mourn Nasser. The Russians may be hoping to influence the selection of his successor; the day after Nasser was buried, Kosygin and Soviet First Deputy Defense Minister Matvei Zakharov discussed matters with Sadat and former Prime Minister Ali Sabry, who is Russia's foremost advocate in Egypt...