THE EMERGENCE OF PAN-ARABISM AND ITS IMPACT ON EGYPTIAN FOREIGN POLICY: 1945-1981 (EGYPT

Pan-Arabism is a concept that aspires to create a greater Arab state by uniting all Arabs into a single political unity stretching from northern Africa on the Atlantic Ocean, east to the Arabian Gulf in Asia and from the northern extremities of Egypt, south to the Sudan in the heart of Africa. This study maintains that the pan-Arab ideal is an undeniable factor which has influenced Egypt's foreign policy and has been expressed in its relations with its Arab neighbors, with Israel and with the rest of the world. This dissertation's purpose is to discuss, assess and analyze the emergence and impact of pan-Arabism on Egyptian foreign policy from 1945 to 1981. Consisting of six chapters, it explores the emergence of the concept of pan-Arabism both in the Arab world and in Egypt, the formation of the League of Arab States as an expression of pan-Arab unity, Egypt's initiatives toward Arab unity and its four wars with Israel in the years 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973.;Egypt began to identify itself with Arabism and the Arab movement toward the end of the 1930's. As Egypt became increasingly more identified with pan-Arabism and the Arab movement, its government placed a foreign policy emphasis on associations with its Arab neighbors and in various attempts at unification, including the 1958 union between Egypt, Syria, and Yemen known as the United Arab Republic, and in Egypt's partnership with its Arab neighbors in the struggle against Israel.;As an Arab state, Egypt's foreign policy was hostile toward Israel and the imperialist countries, which President Nasser defined as any country which supported Israel. It also was hostile even to some of its Arab neighbors which it suspected were not loyal to Arab unity. The outcome of this policy led to Egyptian involvement in four wars with Israel as well as confrontations with both Arab and Western countries.;Although the pan-Arab ideal supported the messianic and revolutionary appeal of the Egyptian nationalist leaders for nearly three decades, during the second half of the 1970's Egyptian leaders, led by President Sadat, realized that Arab unity was a utopian dream and was incompatible with the reality of the existing conditions in Egypt which consisted of a vested interest in the return of Israeli-occupied Egyptian territory coupled with the restoration of economic stability within Egypt.