Center for Arab Unity Studies held a webinar entitled Egyptian-Syrian Unity Experience and Lessons Learned for the Future, on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, on the occasion of the sixty-fourth anniversary of the declaration of Egyptian-Syrian unity and the establishment of the United Arab Republic in 1958. The webinar was moderated by the Director-General of the Center, Luna Abusweireh, with the participation of a group of researchers, writers, university professors and politicians: Dr. Ahmed Youssef Ahmed, Professor Abdel Qader Al-Nayal, Dr. Ali El-Din Hilal, Dr. Mustafa Nuwaisr, Dr. Ibrahim Alloush, and Dr. Ali Fakhro.

In her introduction of the webinar, Abuwsweireh emphasized that the purpose of the dialogue is to conduct an “objective evaluation of the experience and what lessons we can draw”, questioning the possibility of “the ambition of an Arab unity project today, which is realistic and achieved in the past by the will, the independence of political decision, and the unity and liberation awareness”, she said.

Dr. Ahmed Youssef Ahmed presented a general assessment of the experience of unity from the Egyptian perspective, stressing that it was “a reflection of the cohesion and unity of the two peoples, while its integrative structure may not have been the most appropriate, but today we are required to re-establish the idea of ​​Arab unity.” from his side, Dr. Mustafa Nouisser focused on the spatial framework and temporal context of unity, noting that “the Arab national project in its early decades was seeking to achieve unity, while today we are trying at a minimum to preserve our Arab nation and protect it from fragmentation projects and the hegemony of the West”. while Dr. Ibrahim Alloush spoke about the role of political geography in the emergence and dissolution of Egyptian-Syrian unity, and about our need today for the existence of popular, elitist, and purely unitary forces, Dr. Ali El-Din Hilal elaborated on the position of the “major international players” on Arab unity, stressing that “their conspiratorial stance and opposition to Arab unity projects are documented and published with evidence proving the contribution of regional and international powers to the separation”. On other hand, Dr. Ali Fakhro added that “the past is still present with us through Zionist projects, the domination of Western powers and their fight against the idea of ​​Arabism”, he also stressed that the idea of ​​unity is not a failure, but what failed is the application, and unity is necessary for the nation’s survival, cohesion and renaissance. From his side, Mr. Abdel Qader Al-Nyal sent a written input explaining the political and historical circumstances that contributed to the Syrian-Egyptian convergence, adding that  “the dissolution of the parties after the declaration of unity was a cause of the political vacuum that contributed to the separation”.

The attendees participated in the discussion, asking questions and formulating visions to awaken Arab youth from the Maghreb to the Levant and motivate them to adhere to their Arabism, with the need to move intellectually, culturally, politically and popularly to unite the Arab forces. The attendees also emphasized that unity happens when we eliminate Western domination, and that Arab independence is a necessity that precedes talk of unity and networking, and that the question of Palestine and the ambitions of Zionism in the region cannot be separated from the unity project, which is a project of Arab integration and cohesion and forms the basis for revival.

The webinar concluded that Arab unity is an existential issue for the Arab nation that needs strengthening and intensifying Arab national efforts today. The attendees called on the Center for Arab Unity Studies to work, in cooperation with all concerned, to develop and put forward an Arab intellectual project to become a lever for the Arab unity project, with the priority of strengthening the popular incubator for the idea of unity by awakening Arab awareness and emphasizing the ties that enhance our unity.

You can find the seminar on the center’s YouTube channel: