Today, January 15th, marks the anniversary of the birth of one of the most important men in history. Born over 80 years ago, this man came from a inconspicuous background and became one of the most important figures of the 20th century. He was a leader, to be sure, loved by all who adhered to him and his agenda. His speeches stirred the hearts and emotions of multitudes of people. He was a revolutionary in every sense of the word, with his call for unity and a stand against what he saw as injustice and oppression. He was truly one of a kind, although many would try to accomplish what he had. Of course, he was not without his enemies, and many saw him as a threat. To some, he was dangerous, but to others he was a beloved icon, whose untimely death drew millions to the streets in mourning. Of course, I am speaking of......Gamal Abdel Nasser.
What? You were expecting someone else?
Look at the Middle East today, and you will find a laundry list of names and leaders, but to politicos during the 1950s and 1960s, only one name mattered: Nasser. He was a playboy, he was charismatic, energetic, and had an ego the size of the pyramids in his homeland of Egypt. But he was also very dangerous. At a time when the major powers of the world are all trying to assert their influence in every corner of the world, attempting to either instill or defend against communism, the Middle East was a scary place. The USSR loomed to the north, a handful of recently independent but still American/British influenced countries in the area, and the young nation of Israel all together sitting on a powder keg. Then, come 1952, a rebellion against the monarch and five minutes of President Naguib later, Gamal Abdel Nasser is the President of Egypt. It also becomes very clear that he wants what he wants and he would do whatever it took to get it, even if it took a little bit of crooked dealing along the way. A clever man, he knew that to get rid of the shackles of Western imperialism, the Arab world had to unite under one flag. In a move not seen in centuries, he attempted to unite the people of Egypt and Syria into one country. However, his narcissism seems to have gotten in the way, and the union under Arabism turned into union under Nasser, and the countries split again. Yes, the experiment failed, but he tried, which is more than most ever did.
His presidency was full of dealing with both the West and the Soviets, giving in to whichever side was more pleasant at the time, without ever giving his allegiance to anyone but himself. US won't give me guns, but the Soviets will? Communism doesn't sound so bad. He also nationalized the Suez Canal, telling the other world powers to step off. The canal was theirs. Imagine Panama telling the United States, after all their work building the canal, to get the hell out, this canal is ours, and we will decide who gets to use it. Crazy, right? Nasser did it. Now, don't get me wrong. The man was not a saint by any means. His actions nearly brought us into a nuclear war, and he did want to wipe Israel off the map. His embarrassing defeat during the Six Day War tarnished his reputation, but to the people of Egypt, he was still their leader. He was modern, advanced, and is still viewed as a hero in many parts of the Arab world. When a heart attack claimed his life at the age of 52 in 1970, 5 million Arabs flocked to the streets in mourning. That's more than attended the funeral of Princess Diana or Pope John Paul II.
History is full of interesting characters and stories. Unfortunately, a lot of them are either barely mentioned in the footnote of a textbook or are left out entirely. So, in that spirit, I say Happy Birthday, President Nasser. At least one person in this part of the world remembers the importance of your life on the world.
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