Arab Federation
The Arab Federation was a confederation established on 14 February 1958 between the Kingdoms of Iraq and Jordan, both governed by branches of the Hashemite dynasty, as a strategic response to the formation of the United Arab Republic by Egypt and Syria under Gamal Abdel Nasser, which threatened pro-Western monarchies with its pan-Arabist agenda.[1][2]
King Faisal II of Iraq was designated president and chief of state, while King Hussein of Jordan served as deputy chief of state; the structure preserved each kingdom's internal constitutional authority, established regional councils for domestic affairs, created a federal legislature, and envisioned a constitution within three months, with the federal capital alternating between Baghdad and Amman.[2]
Unified foreign and defense policies aimed to safeguard shared interests and promote selective Arab unity, but the federation endured only five months before collapsing amid the 14 July Revolution in Iraq, a military coup that deposed and killed King Faisal II and dissolved the union on 2 August 1958.[3][1]