ABSTRACT
In the early 1950’s, Syria dissolved its economic union with Lebanon to experiment with a ‘command economy’. This trend became stronger with every change of government until finally in 1961 Abdel Nasser led it towards a new climax with severe import restrictions, exchange control, and the ‘Arabization’ of the banks. Nasser greatly disappointed the hopes of all these pan-Arabs by doing the opposite and further assimilating Syria to the Egyptian economic and political structure. Nasser has always claimed that he has no quarrel with the ‘people’ and only attacks governments. Nasser’s attacks had several obvious objectives. Nasser was not satisfied with the exclusion from Parliament of his bitterest enemies in the Lebanon. Since autumn 1960 attacks have been conducted in Syria to discredit individual politicians or whole groups in Beirut. Nasser’s personal attacks from Damascus crowned this campaign.
