What is Pan-Arabism?
{{Politics of the Arab world}} [[File:League of Arab States.png |thumb| League of Arab States]] '''Pan Arabism''' is a [[political movement]] and belief system that promotes the idea that all [[Arabs]] should unite to form one country or state. The idea of Pan Arabism was first created during the late 19th century.<ref>Barry Rubin, “Pan-Arab Nationalism: The Ideological Dream as Compelling Force,” Journal of Contemporary History 26 (1991): 535.</ref> Pan Arabism’s popularity grew, and in the 1950s Middle Eastern leaders, including Egypt’s President [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]], became major supporters of the Pan-Arab movement. Pan Arabists generally believe that all countries with Arab populations should come together or unify and that [[Western world|Western powers]], like the United States or [[Great Britain]], should not have any political power or influence in [[North Africa]] or the [[Arabian Peninsula]].<ref> Ibid., 541. </ref> == Origin & Development == During the 19th century, the [[Ottoman Empire]] controlled most of the [[Middle East]]. The Middle East, at the time, was very diverse. Many different ethnic and cultural groups of people lived in the region. By 1900, the Ottoman Empire was in decline and many of the different groups of people living in the Empire wanted to form independent governments managed by people living within their own communities. <ref> Louis L. Snyder, Varieties of Nationalism: A Comparative Study (Hinsdale, IL: The Dryden Press, 1976), 239. </ref> One group that began to form their own ideas about a self-governed or self determined community were Arabs. Many educated Arab students and professors working at universities, like [[Al-Azhar University]], began to publish magazines and form clubs promoting the idea of a unified Arab community or nation. <ref> Beverly Milton-Edwards, Contemporary Politics in the Middle East (Cambridge: Polity Press, 2000): 54. </ref> These ideas became very popular across Arab regions of the former Ottoman Empire. By 1913, Arab organizations from all ar