25 Facts About Nazim al-Qudsi

Nazim al-Qudsi, was a Syrian politician who served as the 14th president of Syria from 14 December 1961 to 8 March 1963.

Nazim al-Qudsi later received a master's degree from the American University of Beirut, and PhD from the University of Geneva-affiliated Graduate Institute of International Studies.

Nazim al-Qudsi clashed with the Bloc leadership that failed to prevent the annexation of Alexandretta to Turkey in 1939.

Nazim al-Qudsi's election was repeated in 1949,1954, and 1962.

Nazim al-Qudsi voted against the re-election of Quwatli as president, but a parliamentary majority pushed through the election.

Nazim al-Qudsi was released shortly afterwards and placed under house arrest in Aleppo.

Nazim al-Qudsi became highly critical of Za'im when the latter closed Syria's border with Jordan and Iraq and threatened to go to war with both countries, accusing them of being agents of Great Britain in the Middle East.

Nazim al-Qudsi formulated an agreement that called for federal union, preserving independent governments in Damascus and Baghdad while coordinating military, economic, social, cultural, and political affairs between the two states.

Nazim al-Qudsi then went to Cairo and proposed a similar program for all Arab states at the Arab League on 1 January 1951.

Nazim al-Qudsi appointed Selu as provisional head of state and arrested Qudsi, sending him to Mezzeh prison.

Nazim al-Qudsi was released in January 1952 but placed under house arrest.

Nazim al-Qudsi joined the underground and worked in secret against Shishakli, supporting a coup d'etat that brought him down in February 1954.

In October 1954, Nazim al-Qudsi became a deputy in the first post-Shishakli Parliament and was elected speaker on 14 October 1954.

Nazim al-Qudsi tried to regain some of his influence in political circles, but by that time, the People's Party had fallen from grace, and few Syrians advocated union with Iraq.

Nazim al-Qudsi advocated pro-British and pro-American views at a time when the majority of Syrians had become pro-Soviet Union.

Nazim al-Qudsi called on Syria to join the Baghdad Pact, an Anglo-American treaty to contain Communism, and pro-Nasser newspapers accused him of working as an agent for the Hashemites.

Nazim al-Qudsi voted against the Syrian-Egyptian union and when the two countries merged to form the United Arab Republic in 1958, he resigned from public life altogether and retired to Aleppo.

Nazim al-Qudsi then ran for presidential office and won, becoming the first post-Nasser leader of Syria on 12 December 1961.

Nazim al-Qudsi was never on good terms with the new leaders of Iraq, especially the revolt leader, General Abd al-Karim Qasim.

Nazim al-Qudsi began a massive economic reform program, restoring factories that had been nationalized by Nasser when he headed the UAR, and dismissing all pro-Nasser officials from office.

Nazim al-Qudsi appointed Maarouf al-Dawalibi, a veteran of the People's Party with declared anti-officer views, as Prime Minister and Rashad Barmada from the same party as Minister of Defense.

Nazim al-Qudsi arrested Qudsi and Dawalibi, accusing them of misusing their powers and persecuting the officers of the Syrian Army.

Nazim al-Qudsi then tried to appease the officers and the socialists by calling on Bashir al-Azma, a doctor who had been close to Nasser and who held office as Minister of Health under the UAR, to become Prime Minister in April 1962 and Rashad Barmada became the Deputy Prime minister.

Nazim al-Qudsi's cabinet included members of the socialist Ba'ath Party that was pro-Nasser.

Nazim al-Qudsi moved to Lebanon, Europe, and finally to Jordan where he lived in exile until his death on February 6,1998, a week before his 92nd birthday.