Shaping a New Arab Society: State Authority and Social Rights in the 1964 Interim Constitutions of Egypt, Iraq, and Syria

Relli Shechter, Ben-Gurion University

In line with the conference's goal of examining contingency and emergence in history, this research explores how the 1964 interim constitutions of Egypt, Iraq, and Syria represented an emergent process in Arab political development. Rather than viewing them as contingent responses to immediate political pressures or strategic tools of individual leaders, this study demonstrates how they arose from the long-term interaction of regional dynamics, post-colonial social aspirations, and evolving conceptions of state authority. These constitutions signalled a shift in constitutional design from individual and liberal rights to a new social contract centered on social rights and collective welfare. At the heart of this vision were solidarity—a constitutional commitment to collective well-being—and social justice, aimed at ensuring equality and improved living standards. As acts of legislative social engineering during decolonization, they sought to guide both citizens and the state in building a new society. This research highlights the structural forces shaping these constitutions, which emerged from a growing public and political consensus since the late 1940s. Although drafted amid Arab Cold War rivalries, they reflected a broader regional agreement on the need for socioeconomic transformation. While contingent factors like shifting alliances and leadership decisions influenced their final form, these constitutions were not merely instruments of power consolidation. Contrary to previous scholarship, which views them as part of an authoritarian bargain, they embodied an emergent constitutional model shaped by deeper historical forces. Drawing on original Arabic constitutional texts, legal commentaries, diplomatic correspondence, and declassified intelligence reports from the U.S. National Archives, this study offers new insights into how constitutional design emerges from historical forces rather than elite dictates, with implications for understanding legal developments across postcolonial states.

No extended abstract or paper available

 Presented in Session 204. Emergent States and the Dynamics of State Formation: Ideas, Institutions, and Social Change