Mufti's detailed reconstruction of unity plans defies many conventional beliefs about modern Arab political history. In particular, he challenges the perception that a radical populist attachment to anti-Americanism, anti-Zionism, and pan-Arab ideology determined the behavior of Syrian and Iraqi leaders during the 1950s and 1960s. Instead, using Arab political memoirs, interviews with important players in Syrian and Iraqi politics, and recently declassified U.S. documents, he shows how domestic power calculations dominated the actions of Ba'thists and Nasserist elites. He demonstrates, moreover, that their interests often converged with those of the United States, making them beneficiaries of active Amercian support." --book jacket.