In a twisted way, Iran still seems to be helping Israel. In furthering Israel's narrative of being the victim. Iran, in turn, stands as isolated today as its arch enemy Iraq once was.

The tendency to underestimate Israel resurfaced in 1967 when, egged on by the adulation that accompanied the pompous pan-Arabism of Egypt’s president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, the Arab states thought it ...

The underlying reason, perhaps, was the sense that without Nasser, there was no other Arab leader who could truly represent the aspiration for a renewed pan-Arabism or Arab nationalism.

With deep British ties, he sought to maintain stability, but by the 1960s, Pan-Arabism under Nasser had become a dominant force, threatening both Jordan’s monarchy and Israel’s very existence.

The following day, al-Assad flew to Cairo, where he sought recognition of his authority from Nasser's successor, Anwar Sadat. On March 12, 1971, he was elected president with 99.2% of the vote.

The zenith of Ba’athism and Arab Socialism coincided with Gamal Abdel Nasser’s leadership of Egypt between the 1950s and the 1970s.

For instance, the CIA was reportedly involved in orchestrating coups and supporting conservative monarchies to counter Nasser's influence. By the 1970s, Pan-Arabism had largely faded, replaced by ...