Nasser: The Last Arab
by Said K. Aburish

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Book Reviews of Nasser: The Last Arab

Book Review: The greatest Arab leader of recent times
Summary: 4 Stars

"the eventual dictator was a victim of the people who failed him, the Arabs".

In a nutshell this comment brings together many of the contradictory strands in Nasser's complex life in politics, which began as a young officer in early 1950s Egypt, and ended in the international limelight amid desperate squabbling between rival Arab leaders. In between Nasser managed the seemingly impossible feat of uniting the Arab peoples, at least spiritually, in a very few years, only to see his begin to crumble towards the end of his life. Aburish at many points is wistful for what might have been, the unfulfilled dreams, and mindful that a comparable leader of Nasser's stature is unlikely to emerge ever again from the fractuous world of Arab politics.

In fact, one of Nasser's great achievements was to establish that there was such a thing as Arab politics. This book however shows that even within the push for Arab unity, Nasser was plagued by uncertainty and contradiction. A conservative at heart, he often pulled back from overtly carrying regional events along with his own charisma (which for a number of years he was clearly capable of doing). The picture Aburish paints shows a man often reacting to circumstances, trying to make the best of a non-ideal world, and ultimately lacking in a long-term strategic vision. Where he could have acted to undermine puppet regimes in Iraq, Jordan or Saudi Arabia, Nasser even refused explicit offers of help from plotting officers in those countries. Whilst he was at heart more attracted to the American block, he found himself drifting towards the Soviets despite his own strong anti-communism. He was many times a victim of his own indecision and conservatism, but equally too a victim of the petty personal interests of other Arab leaders, more interested in securing their standing with America than acting in Arab, or even national, interests. Aburish chronicles in surprising detail his drift towards the feelings of the Arab masses, ultimately the only constituency which remained largely faithful to him.

Aburish also refers on numerous occasions to Nasser as an accidental dictato. Here too his ideas never appeared to be clear. Did he want to establish a parliamentary democracy in Egypt? Whereas early on in his career this appeared to be the favoured option, he gradually moved to dictatorial ways, prompted also by disagreements with leading figures in the Free Generals movement, and the rise of yes-men, and those who preferred an easily life to the real challenges of political or military power. Nasser may not have trusted the country with a democratic system, but he was blind enough to allos subordinates, such as Amer, to build up devastatingly strong power bases, moving the dictatorship from the benign to the sadistic.

Other issues which Nasser tried to face also outlived him, and their subsequent importance shows Nasser in some senses to be a man thinking ahead of his time. He was one of the first major leaders to try to combat Islamis Fundamentalism (which for decades was supported by the USA and UK as a counterweight to Nasser's Arab Unity schemes); he was firm in his belief that the conflict with Israel would be resolved at the negotiating table, paving the way for Sadat in the later 70s.

It is difficult to do justice to a man of such complex political convictions, in power in a time of great instability and general realignment. Aburish is careful not to simplify Nasser's shortcomings and strengths, and attempts to explain Nasser's changing views and policies as reactions to prevailing circumstances, rather than the ineffectual blundering of a political novice. The impression which comes across in this book is that of a master chess player who somehow can never come to play out a decisive or aggressive strategy.

Contrary to the claim on the back cover, this is not the definitive biography of Nasser. There is a lot which is left unsaid, and the reader comes away from the book with more questions than when he arrived. However that is mainly due to Nasser the man, rather than Aburish the biographer.

The book itself is well-crafted and flows excellently. It maybe lacks the pace and energy of Aburish's other words ("Brutal Friendship" or Saddam Hussein's biography), but it is still very worth reading.

Highly recommended for those with a close interest in the Middle East.

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