User:Ahmadhazri/sandbox

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Some peace treaty somewhere

Test 3

The Baghdad Pact met with strong opposition from Egypt. Cairo saw the pact as a means to Western colonialism, and a rival alternative to Arab autonomy and Egyptian leadership in the region's security arrangement. As the Pact would challenge Egypt's leadership, Nasser persuaded other Arab states to refuse to join. Consequently, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria remained outside the Pact.

Anti-colonialism

Nasser asserted that through the Pact, Western colonialism which was forced to leave through the door now sought to return through the window. In his meeting with US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles, Nasser asserted his objection to an alliance with a colonial power, particularly when it still retained presence in Egypt. The pact would thus compromise Egypt's sovereignty: "Small nations included in the circles of pacts cannot compete on an equal footing with big powers. They cannot discuss matters on an equal basis." It was Western imperialism, more than the Soviet Union that was the greater threat as Nasser perceived it.

Arab neutrality

Nasser's foreign policy envisaged neutrality in the Cold War between the US and the Soviet Union. This neutrality itself was born out of historical processes. Nasser hoped for security cooperation to be done regionally under Egypt leadership while concurrently keeping Western forces at bay. Thus he entered into arms deal with the Soviet-aligned Czechoslovakia.

Nasser explained to Dulles that the Arab world already has a collective security arrangement in the form of Arab League Collective Security Pact (ACSP) (1952).

Arab leadership (struggle with Iraq)

At the same time, the pact gave a prominent role to Iraq, at a time of rivalry between Iraq and Egypt for leadership in the Arab world. Yet while Iraq evinced pro-Washington tendencies, Cairo insisted on Arab autonomy and independence.