Jamal al-Atassi
Encyclopedia
Jamal Al-Atassi was a Syrian nationalist, politician and author. He was one of the earliest ideologues of the nascent Syrian Baath Party
, which he joined soon after it was founded. He helped to lay out its constitution
and was the man who came up with the party's motto
, "One united Arab Nation with an eternal Message." He also served as chief editor of the party's daily newspaper, Al Baath.
Dr. Atassi belonged to a prominent political family
, and was educated at Damascus
University where he earned a PhD
in clinical psychology
in 1947. He practiced in this field from 1950-1958, in his home town and Atassi political base of Homs
, until lured into the public arena by the Arab nationalist movement led by the Egypt
ian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser
. Atassi strongly supported the union with Egypt that formed the United Arab Republic
in 1958. Once again eschewing his medical training, Atassi returned to journalism and became chief editor of the pro-Nasser daily, Al Jamaheer (The Masses) until the union became defunct in 1961. During this time he worked, lectured and campaigned in favor of Nasser. When a coup
in Syria dissolved the union, he became a vocal member of the opposition dedicated to restoring the UAR.
This position put him at odds with the country's new military ruler, Nazim al-Kudsi
, and he was a political outcast during those years from 1961 to 1963, when a new coup in March of that year brought to power a more nationalist and unionist wing of the Baath. Jamal's own cousin, the future president Nureddin al-Atassi
became Minister of the Interior, and Jamal became Minister of Information in the cabinet of Prime Minister Salah al-Din al-Bitar
, one of the founders of the Baath party. He was also voted into the party's Revolutionary Command Council. A mere four months later Atassi resigned after coming to the realization that restoration of the UAR was not a party priority. He then formed his own party, the Arab Socialist Union
, an umbrella group of dedicated unionists who wanted to restore the UAR and reappoint Nasser as president of Syria.
In 1970 Jamal al-Atassi supported the rise of Hafez al-Assad
to power in a coup that ousted his own cousin Nour al-Deen as president. He hoped Assad would take a harder line on reunification with Egypt. In march 1972, Assad formed the National Progressive Front, a Baath-led coalition of socialist parties. He invited Atassi, who by this time was one of the most venerated nationalists in the country, to join a 13-member committee delegated with administering the NPF's political affairs. Once again, realizing that restoring the UAR was not a goal of Assad or the NPF, he left within a year and formed a new organization, the Democratic Arab Socialist Union. Assad promptly outlawed it and Atassi was therefore never allowed to enter parliament.
From that time until his death, he continued to extoll pan-Arabism and worked for this ideal, albeit within the rigid confines of the Assad dictatorship. Together with other illegal parties, his DASU formed the National Democratic Rally
in 1980, to act as a sort of mirror version to the NPF. Jamal al-Atassi became its official spokesman. Such was his stature at the time of his death, that Assad ordered him a semi-official state funeral, honoring him as a patriot of conviction and principle. In a family of political giants, Jamal al-Atassi managed to carve for himself a distinct place in the Syrian political landscape, and commanded wide respect among his countrymen despite his continued opposition to the Assad regime. He was known as a great political mind with his own views on Arabism and socialism. He death was followed closely by the death of Assad himself in 2000.
During the Damascus Spring
(June 2000 through the autumn of 2001), a reformist pro-democracy political discussion forum was named in his honor, until it was disbanded in a crackdown by the Syrian Government.
Baath Party
The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was a political party mixing Arab nationalist and Arab socialist interests, opposed to Western imperialism, and calling for the renaissance or resurrection and unification of the Arab world into a single state. Ba'ath is also spelled Ba'th or Baath and means...
, which he joined soon after it was founded. He helped to lay out its constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
and was the man who came up with the party's motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
, "One united Arab Nation with an eternal Message." He also served as chief editor of the party's daily newspaper, Al Baath.
Dr. Atassi belonged to a prominent political family
Atassi
Atassi, also spelled Atasi is the name of a prominent family of city Notables in Homs, Syria dating back to the 16th century AD. Members of the family lead the national movement against the French mandate...
, and was educated at Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
University where he earned a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in clinical psychology
Clinical psychology
Clinical psychology is an integration of science, theory and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well-being and personal development...
in 1947. He practiced in this field from 1950-1958, in his home town and Atassi political base of Homs
Homs
Homs , previously known as Emesa , is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is above sea level and is located north of Damascus...
, until lured into the public arena by the Arab nationalist movement led by the Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser
Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein was the second President of Egypt from 1956 until his death. A colonel in the Egyptian army, Nasser led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 along with Muhammad Naguib, the first president, which overthrew the monarchy of Egypt and Sudan, and heralded a new period of...
. Atassi strongly supported the union with Egypt that formed the United Arab Republic
United Arab Republic
The United Arab Republic , often abbreviated as the U.A.R., was a sovereign union between Egypt and Syria. The union began in 1958 and existed until 1961, when Syria seceded from the union. Egypt continued to be known officially as the "United Arab Republic" until 1971. The President was Gamal...
in 1958. Once again eschewing his medical training, Atassi returned to journalism and became chief editor of the pro-Nasser daily, Al Jamaheer (The Masses) until the union became defunct in 1961. During this time he worked, lectured and campaigned in favor of Nasser. When a coup
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
in Syria dissolved the union, he became a vocal member of the opposition dedicated to restoring the UAR.
This position put him at odds with the country's new military ruler, Nazim al-Kudsi
Nazim al-Kudsi
Nazim al-Kudsi, also spelled "Koudsi", "al-Qudsi" or "al-Cudsi" , was a Syrian politician and head of state . He was born in and raised in Aleppo...
, and he was a political outcast during those years from 1961 to 1963, when a new coup in March of that year brought to power a more nationalist and unionist wing of the Baath. Jamal's own cousin, the future president Nureddin al-Atassi
Nureddin al-Atassi
Noureddin Mohammed Ali al-Atassi was President of Syria from February 1966 to November 1970...
became Minister of the Interior, and Jamal became Minister of Information in the cabinet of Prime Minister Salah al-Din al-Bitar
Salah al-Din al-Bitar
Salah ad-Din al-Bitar , was a Syrian politician who, with Michel Aflaq, founded the Arab Ba'th Party in the early 1940s. During their student days in Paris in the early 1930s, the two worked together to formulate a doctrine that combined aspects of nationalism and socialism...
, one of the founders of the Baath party. He was also voted into the party's Revolutionary Command Council. A mere four months later Atassi resigned after coming to the realization that restoration of the UAR was not a party priority. He then formed his own party, the Arab Socialist Union
Arab Socialist Union (Egypt)
The Arab Socialist Union was an Egyptian political party based on the principles of Nasserist Arab socialism.-Emergence:The Arab Socialist Union was founded in Egypt in December 1962 by Gamal Abdel Nasser as the country's sole political party. The ASU grew out of the Free Officers Movement of the...
, an umbrella group of dedicated unionists who wanted to restore the UAR and reappoint Nasser as president of Syria.
In 1970 Jamal al-Atassi supported the rise of Hafez al-Assad
Hafez al-Assad
Hafez ibn 'Ali ibn Sulayman al-Assad or more commonly Hafez al-Assad was the President of Syria for three decades. Assad's rule consolidated the power of the central government after decades of coups and counter-coups, such as Operation Wappen in 1957 conducted by the Eisenhower administration and...
to power in a coup that ousted his own cousin Nour al-Deen as president. He hoped Assad would take a harder line on reunification with Egypt. In march 1972, Assad formed the National Progressive Front, a Baath-led coalition of socialist parties. He invited Atassi, who by this time was one of the most venerated nationalists in the country, to join a 13-member committee delegated with administering the NPF's political affairs. Once again, realizing that restoring the UAR was not a goal of Assad or the NPF, he left within a year and formed a new organization, the Democratic Arab Socialist Union. Assad promptly outlawed it and Atassi was therefore never allowed to enter parliament.
From that time until his death, he continued to extoll pan-Arabism and worked for this ideal, albeit within the rigid confines of the Assad dictatorship. Together with other illegal parties, his DASU formed the National Democratic Rally
National Democratic Rally (Syria)
The National Democratic Rally or National Democratic Gathering is a banned opposition alliance in Syria, comprising five political parties of a secularist, pan-Arabist, Arab nationalist and socialist bent....
in 1980, to act as a sort of mirror version to the NPF. Jamal al-Atassi became its official spokesman. Such was his stature at the time of his death, that Assad ordered him a semi-official state funeral, honoring him as a patriot of conviction and principle. In a family of political giants, Jamal al-Atassi managed to carve for himself a distinct place in the Syrian political landscape, and commanded wide respect among his countrymen despite his continued opposition to the Assad regime. He was known as a great political mind with his own views on Arabism and socialism. He death was followed closely by the death of Assad himself in 2000.
During the Damascus Spring
Damascus Spring
The Damascus Spring was a period of intense political and social debate in Syria which started after the death of President Hafiz al-Asad in June 2000 and continued to some degree until autumn 2001, when most of the activities associated with it were suppressed by the government.- Background...
(June 2000 through the autumn of 2001), a reformist pro-democracy political discussion forum was named in his honor, until it was disbanded in a crackdown by the Syrian Government.
Literary works
- The History of European Socialism
- Socialism: Its Past and Future
- The Ideology of Karl MarxKarl MarxKarl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
- Gamal Abdel Nasser: The Revolutionary Experience
- Articles on Socialism (With Michel AflaqMichel AflaqMichel Aflaq was a Syrian philosopher, who is credited with being the ideological founder of ba'athism, a hybrid of Arab nationalism and Arab socialism.-Early life:...
and Munif al-Razzaz).