"Arab socialism" was in practice state capitalism; it involved state planning combined with authoritarian control and the use of repression to quell opposition. Politically, Nasserism sought to unify and regroup Arab territories into one nation and overturn the arbitrary divisions imposed by the Allied powers after the First World War. The principal enemy was imperialism, particularly the imperialism of the United States, which emerged as the dominant power in the Middle East after the war.

DEFINE: Clarifies that 'Arab socialism' was effectively state capitalism combining planning, authoritarian control, and repression.

Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politi…, loc. 326