The balance among consent, acquiescence, and coercion in the making of Nasser’s project was uncertain and shifted over time.
Addressing them in unembellished semi-colloquial language, the Egyptian leader urged them, “ Irfa‘ ra’sak ya khuya” (“lift up your head my brother”). He believed that he spoke for - and viscerally understood - the interests of its people.
Gamal Abdel Nasser, president of Egypt (1954–70) and champion of Arab nationalism, Arab socialism, and anti-imperialism in the era of global decolonization, was the first indigenous ruler of Egypt since Cleopatra.
