ABSTRACT
Egyptian predominance in the Arab League was evident since the establishment of that organization. There are several indicators of Egyptian predominance, including Cairo’s long-running monopoly of the office of secretary-general; it substantial financial contribution to the League’s budget; the location of the Arab League headquarters in Cairo and the predominance of Egyptian employees. A close look at the national composition of the staff until the mid-70s indicates Egyptian predominance. Member states’ dissatisfaction with Egyptian predominance in the League continued throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and there were no substantial changes in the 1970s. An official League document on the general secretariat, for example, reveals continuing Egyptian predominance in 1974. Abdel Nasser’s charisma, personality, and beliefs were frequently cited as reasons for his high popularity in the Arab world in general and in Egypt in particular. Until 1954 Nasser’s action was centred within Egypt to remove internal challenges to his control.
