ABSTRACT
Shishakly's rule made the Syrian army an unashamedly political instrument. The nationalist awakening and the reform of the Syrian army since the Palestine war made the officers incline toward the Bath because its ideology and aspirations fulfilled their nationalist desires. From the evidence available, it was the Syrian Bath party rather than Nasser who wanted the union in the form it took. Since 1966, the Bath party has undergone serious changes. To begin with it was taken over by the Alawi ethnic group and Alawi officers. The Alawi Bath-army rule finally created stability in Syria, but only with the military legitimizing the Bath regime. Asad's ascendency coincided with executive power that stems both from Asad's personality and Syrian social forces. But it certainly curtails Asad's moves, as was the case in November 1977 when the Syrian Bath adamantly opposed Sadat's peace mission to Israel.
