The Federation of Arab Republics (FAR; , , ) was an unsuccessful attempt by

Muammar Gaddafi Muammar Muhammad Abu Minyar al-Gaddafi (20 October 2011) was a Libyan military officer, revolutionary, politician and political theorist who ruled Libya from 1969 until Killing of Muammar Gaddafi, his assassination by Libyan Anti-Gaddafi ...

to merge

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

in order to create a unified Arab state. Although approved by a referendum in each country on 1 September 1971, the three countries disagreed on the specific terms of the merger. The federation lasted from 1 January 1972 to 19 November 1977.

History

In 1969, Arab nationalist military officers seized power in Libya. The ideological influence of Egyptian President

Gamal Abdel Nasser Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein (15 January 1918 – 28 September 1970) was an Egyptian military officer and revolutionary who served as the second president of Egypt from 1954 until his death in 1970. Nasser led the Egyptian revolution of 1952 a ...

over the new Libyan government was immediately apparent. The administration was immediately recognized by the Arab nationalist governments in

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

Sudan Sudan, officially the Republic of the Sudan, is a country in Northeast Africa. It borders the Central African Republic to the southwest, Chad to the west, Libya to the northwest, Egypt to the north, the Red Sea to the east, Eritrea and Ethiopi ...

and

with Egypt sending experts to aid Libya's inexperienced government. Gaddafi propounded Pan-Arab ideas, proclaiming the need for a single Arab state stretching across

North Africa North Africa (sometimes Northern Africa) is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region. However, it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of t ...

and the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. In December 1969, Libya founded the Arab Revolutionary Front with Egypt and Sudan as a step towards political unification, and in 1970 Syria stated its intention to join. After Nasser's death in September 1970, his successor,

Anwar Sadat Muhammad Anwar es-Sadat (25 December 1918 – 6 October 1981) was an Egyptian politician and military officer who served as the third president of Egypt, from 15 October 1970 until Assassination of Anwar Sadat, his assassination by fundame ...

, suggested that rather than a unified state, they create a political federation. It was implemented in April 1971 which enabled Egypt, Syria and Sudan to get large grants of Libyan oil money. In September 1972, Gaddafi and Sadat signed an unofficial charter of merger, but it was never implemented as relations broke down the following year. Sadat became increasingly wary of Libya's radical direction, and the September 1973 deadline for implementing the Federation passed by with no action taken. In October 1973 Egypt and Syria, without consulting Libya, launched a coordinated attack on Israel, initiating the October war. Sadat agreed to open negotiations with Israel, seeking the return of the

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai ( ; ; ; ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a land bridge between Asia and Afri ...

to Egypt in exchange for a guarantee to not engage in further attacks on the country. Gaddafi was angered by the war's limited objectives and the ceasefire, and accused Sadat of cowardice, undermining the FAR, and betraying the Arab cause. Sadat responded by revealing he had intervened earlier that year to prevent Libya from sinking a civilian passenger ship carrying Jewish tourists in the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

. Thereafter Egyptian–Libyan relations were marked by frequent accusations against each country's leaders, and further discussions regarding the pursuit of unity were abandoned.

Referendums

Three simultaneous referendums on the Federation of Arab Republics were held on 1 September 1971, in Egypt, Libya and Syria. In the Egyptian referendum the proposal was approved by 99.96% of voters, in the Libyan referendum it was approved by 98.6% of voters, whilst in

96.4% voted in favour.

Other Federations of Arab Republics

*Federation of Egypt, Libya and Sudan (1969/70–1971) *Federation of Egypt, Libya and Syria (1971/72–1974/77) *Union between Egypt and Libya within the Federation (1972–1973/74) *Union between Egypt and Syria within the Federation (1976–1977) *Federation comprising Egypt, Sudan and Syria (1977) File:FAR 1970.png, FAR 1970,

intends to join the Egyptian-Libyan-Sudanese Federation File:FAR 1971.png, FAR 1971,

is said to join later but keeps outside the Federation File:FAR 1972.png, FAR 1972,

is invited to join the Egyptian-Libyan-Syrian Federation File:FAR 1973.png, FAR 1973, Egypt and

fail to form a Union within the Federation File:FAR 1976.png, FAR 1976,

and Syria intend to form a Union within the Federation File:FAR 1977.png, FAR 1977, Sudan intends to join the Egypt-Syrian Federation

Symbols of member states

Flags

Flag of Egypt (1972-1984).svg, Egyptian flag used until 1984, 7 years after the dissolution Flag of Libya (1972–1977).svg, Libyan flag used until 1977 Flag of Syria (1972–1980).svg, Syrian flag used until 1980, 3 years after the dissolution

Coats of arms

Coat of arms of Egypt (1972-1984).svg, Egyptian coat of arms used until 1984, 7 years after the dissolution Coat of arms of Libya (1972–1977).svg, Libyan coat of arms used until 1977 Coat of arms of the Federation of Arab Republics (1972–1977).svg, Syrian coat of arms used until 1980, 3 years after the dissolution

Maps

LocationEgypt.svg, Location of Egypt LocationLibya.svg, Location of Libya LocationSyria.svg, Location of Syria

References

Citations

Sources

* * * * * * * * {{Authority control 1970s in Egypt 1970s in Libya 1970s in Syria Arab League Arab nationalism in Egypt Arab nationalism in Libya Arab nationalism in Sudan Arab nationalism in Syria Egypt–Libya relations Egypt–Syria relations Former Arab republics Former confederations Libya–Syria relations Libya–Sudan relations Pan-Arabism States and territories disestablished in 1977 States and territories established in 1972 1972 establishments in Asia 1972 establishments in Africa 1972 establishments in Egypt 1972 establishments in Libya 1972 establishments in Syria 1977 disestablishments in Africa 1977 disestablishments in Asia 1977 disestablishments in Egypt 1977 disestablishments in Libya 1977 disestablishments in Syria