The United Arab Republic

"A discussion of the foreign policy of the United Arab Republic (UAR) in terms of its domestic political situation and conceptions of international alignments. In large measure, Egyptian foreign policy in the last two decades has not been the special product of President Nasser's regime, but rather has rested on a longstanding expectation on the part of the Egyptians that they should exercise some form of hegemony in the eastern Arab world. The ideological atmosphere that has grown up around the program of the revolutionary regime reflects the actions of various factions and groups within Egypt. Clearly, nationalism has created pressures for internal modernization and for a vigorous pan-Arab and international role for the UAR. It is evident that the instability in UAR's conception of its international alignments has resulted from the conflicting aspirations and insecurities among the various elements of which the regime must take account, including elements within its own ranks."--Rand abstracts