Middle East Information Resource
Political Entities - Arab Socialism
Arab Socialism (ishtirakiyya) is a term widely used in Arab political discourse, and deserves to be considered as an institution. It is a prevalent theme in numerous political movements and parties throughout the Arab world. Arab politicians and writers are not referring to the Socialism of the Socialist International twentieth century. The concept of Socialism that grew out of the European experience is, in theory, based on multi-party parliamentary democracy and a liberal concept of human rights, and is an ideal expected to be achieved through Communism. Arab Scoialism means state Socialism, which symbolizes social justice and equality, in comparison to the exploitation and inequality that has characterized colonial regimes. Arab Socialism is often expressed in populist, revolutionary movements. It tends to be realized in the form of single-party totalitarian regimes led by military figures.
Before World War I Western style Socialist thinking had some small presence in the Arab World. The influence could be seen in some Egyptian and Lebanese writers and politicians. However, no Social-Democratic party or organization was formed. Traces of Social-Democracy may perhaps be seen in the left-wing of the Egyptian Wafd Party, in the Iraqi Ahali group (Kamel Chadirji), or in the Tunisian Neo-Destour Party. After World War I the Moroccan left wing (Ben Barka, the UNFP and USFP), and for some time Kamal Junblat`s PSP in Lebanon, also leaned in this direction.
In any case, Western-type Social Democracy never matured in any of these groups. The Socailist institutions gradually evolved into part of another type of Socialism. Still, the Socialist International was anxious to discover and cultivate like-minded groups in the Arab countries. They were particularly attracted by the Moroccan Left and the Lebanese PSP. The latter was even invited to join, and though its full adhesion never materialized, it was given the status of an observer, as was the Egyptian Arab Socialist Union. Relations did not become close, and the two Arab parties did not become Social-Democratic groups. The Socialist parties of Asia, coalescing in an "Asian Socialist Conference" in January 1953 (with the Socialist parties of Burma, India, and Israel as the chief initiators), were also keen to associate sister-parties from the Arab countries and invited several of them to their conference. Israel`s prominent role in that Asian organization induced the Arab parties to decline the invitation to the 1953 Conference and additional ones held until 1972.
Since the 1950`s, populist-revolutionary state Socialism has become the prevailing political philosophy in many Arab states. The Egyptian officers` regime, founded in 1952, adopted it as a slogan from the mid-1950`s, and in 1962 changed the name of its single ruling party into the Arab Socialist Union. Under President al-Sadat`s guidance, the ASU was divided into three "stages," which later became parties in their own right. The emphasis on Socialism declined. The mainstream group, now the "National Democratic Party," no longer has Socialism as part of its organizational definition. However, two smaller opposition parties in Egypt remained committed to Socialism, at least in name, the "Socialist Labor Party" and the "Socialist Liberal Party".
The Arab Ba`th (Renaissance) Party, which originated in Syria, added the word "Socialism" to its name when it combined with Akram Hourani`s "Arab Socialist Party" in 1953. It has ruled Syria since 1963 and Iraq since 1968. The ruling party in South Yemen, formerly the National Liberation Front for Occupied South Yemen (NLF), was called the "Yemen Socialist Party" after 1978. Sudan`s Numeiri called the single party he set up in 1971 the "Sudan Socialist Union."
Algeria`s Front de Liberation National (FLN), the ruling single party, does not incorporaqte Socialism in its name, but belongs to the same trend of populist-revolutionary Socialism as Tunisia`s "Socialist Destour Party" (formerly NeoDestour). It has ruled the country since independence, professes a socialism containing elements of both the populist brand and Western Social Democracy, but in practice it is not at all democratic. A more liberal faction that split from the FLN in the 1970`s, led by Ahmad Mestiri, called itself the "Democratic Socialist Movement" and seemed to have professed a Western-type Social Democracy.
Junblat`s "Progressive Socialism Party" in Lebanon has never been the ruling party but exerted considerable influence until the early 1990`s. It belongs to the populist brand of Socialism, and has always been primarily a representative of the Druze community formation, with Socialist ideology a secondary priority. On the Moroccan Left, one of the main factions identifies itself as the "Socialist Union of Popular Forces;" it is identified with the populist brand of Socialism.
In the late 1950`s and the 1960`s, Abdel Nasser and his followers very much emphasized the nationalist character of their Socialism. Egypt in particular was courting support from the Soviet Union, and adherance to some form of Socialism helped the rapport with the Soviets. On the other hand, assuring the Arab Nationalist Movement a prominent role in "Arab Socialism" helped the Arab Socialist states resist domination by Moscow. Thus, the Arab Nationalist called their movement "Arab Socialism" and claimed that they had created a special, distinctive brand of Socialism.
Beginning in 1962, Nasser began to assert that his revolutionary Arab Socialism was the only way to aachieve Arab Unity. He used this theory to justify his open and implacible hostility toward the Arab monarchies. "Arab Socialism" has taken its own evolutionary path and has very little to do with international Socialist ideology or doctrine. Since Arab Socialism became closely linked to Pan-Arab movements, most of its factions called themselves "Socialist-Unionist." They all went into decline after Nasser`s death.