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Adib Shishakli | |
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أديب الشيشكلي | |
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| De facto leader of theFirst Syrian Republic and theSecond Syrian Republic | |
| In office 19 December 1949 – 25 February 1954 | |
| President | Hashim al-Atassi Himself (acting) Fawzi Selu Himself |
| Prime Minister | Hashim al-Atassi Nazim al-Qudsi Khalid al-Azm Nazim al-Qudsi Khalid al-Azm Hassan al-Hakim Zaki al-Khatib (acting) Maarouf al-Dawalibi Vacant Fawzi Selu Himself |
| Vice President | Office wasn't established Maamun al-Kuzbari |
| Preceded by | Sami al-Hinnawi |
| Succeeded by | Maamun al-Kuzbari (As actingPresident of Syria) |
| President of Syria (military rule) | |
| In office 2 December 1951–3 December 1951 (acting) | |
| In office 11 July 1953 – 25 February 1954 | |
| Vice President | Maamun al-Kuzbari |
| Preceded by | Fawzi Selu (military rule) |
| Succeeded by | Maamun al-Kuzbari (acting) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1909 |
| Died | 27 September 1964 (aged 55) |
| Manner of death | Assassination |
| Resting place | Buried in hometownHama |
| Party | |
| Spouse | Fatina al-Fanari |
| Parent | Ali Hasan Shishakli (Father) |
| Relatives | Salah Shishakli |
| Alma mater | Damascus Military Academy |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | .svg) Second Syrian Republic |
| Branch/service | Arab Liberation Army |
| Rank | General |
| Battles/wars | |
Adib ash-Shishakli (1909 – 27 September 1964,Arabic:أديب الشيشكلي,romanized: ʾAdīb aš-Šīšaklī) was a Syrian military officer who served asPresident of Syria briefly in 1951 and later from 1953 to 1954. He wasoverthrown and later assassinated.
Adib Shishakli was born in theHama Sanjak ofOttoman Syria to aSunni family. His mother was ofKurdish origin while his father was aSyrian Turkmen.[1] His family name, Shishakli, is a common surname derived from theTurkish word "çiçek", which means flower; çiçekli (Shishakli) therefore means someone or some place with flowers.
Shishakli was commissioned during theFrench Mandate of Syria as an officer in the colonial military in 1930. He studied at the Military Academy ofDamascus (which later was relocated to Homs) and became an early member of theSyrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), founded byAntun Saadeh, promoting the concept of aGreater Syria. His brother Salah was also a prominent member of the SSNP. Following Syria'sindependence from France, Shishakli fought in a volunteerArab army, known as theArab Liberation Army, in the1948 Arab-Israeli War. His exploits on the front lines earned him a following among Syria’s officer corps.
The Arab defeat in the 1948 Arab-Israeli War was a motivating factor for the military coup led byHusni al-Za'im, which took place in 1949. Only months after al-Za'im's takeover, which shattered Syria's weak parliamentary system, Za'im was overthrown by a group of officers connected to the SSNP, including Shishakli and Zaim's old comrade, ColonelSami al-Hinnawi, who led the new military junta.
Za'im had previously delivered the SSNP leaderAntun Saadeh to theLebanese authorities, who had him tried and executed for wanting to destroy the modern state of Lebanon. Reportedly, after Za'im was killed, Shishakli ripped off Za'im's bloodstained shirt and took it to Saadeh's widow, who was still in Syria, telling her, "We have avenged his murder!".[2]
Shishakli worked with Sami al-Hinnawi, the newde facto ruler of Syria who refused to assume power on his own and who, instead, restored Syria's parliamentary system. Hinnawi became chief-of-staff of theSyrian Army. A veterannationalist,Hashem al-Atassi, who had been president in the 1930s, became prime minister, and later president of Syria. Atassi wanted to create a union withHashemiteIraq, something which Shishakli greatly opposed, claiming that Hinnawi was the driving force behind pro-Hashemite sentiment in Syria.
In December 1949, Shishakli launched another coup, the third of that year, arresting Hinnawi to break Hashemite influence in Syria, but keeping Atassi at his post. He then ordered the assassination of Colonel Mohammad Nasser, the Air Force Commander, because he threatened Shishakli's popularity in theSyrian Army. All of this greatly weakened the pro-union elements in Syria but they continued to work for union with Hashemite Iraq through the Prime Minister,Nazim al-Kudsi.
Shishakli set the condition that any government had to include his right-hand-man,Fawzi Selu, as Minister for Defence, to curb Hashemite influence in the Syrian government. When Prime MinisterMaarouf al-Dawalibi, a pro-Iraq politician from Aleppo, refused this demand, Shishakli responded on 28 November 1951 by arresting Dawalibi and his entire cabinet. He also had arrested all pro-Iraq politicians in Syria, including the leaders of thePeople's Party,Nazim al-Kudsi andRushdi al-Kikhya. In protest, Atassi resigned from office and moved into the opposition. Pleased to get rid of this stubborn nationalist, who rejected military intervention in political affairs, Shishakli made his comrade Selu the Chief-of-Staff of the Army, the Prime Minister, the Minister for Defence, and the Head of State. But in effect, Selu was nothing but a figurehead. The real power lay in the hands of Adib al-Shishakli.
Shishakli then dissolved all political parties in a return to military rule. He banned a number of newspapers and outlawed allnewspapers that were not pro-Shishakli.[3] Among those to suffer persecution under his rule were theNational Party of Damascus, thePeople's Party of Aleppo, theCommunist Party, theBaath Party, and the SyrianMuslim Brotherhood. He banished the Baath leadersAkram al-Hawrani,Michel Aflaq, andSalah al-Bitar to Lebanon, where they then actively worked against his regime.
He was a skilled public speaker and relied greatly onradio to transmit his speeches to the Syrian population. He became the initial Arab leader following independence to foster a cult of personality around himself, with his portraits adorning every shopfront. Moreover, he established a ministry dedicated to information and propaganda within his government. To ensure his control, he strategically deployed spies and security agents across the nation to vigilantly observe and suppress any signs of opposition against his rule.[4] In August 1952, he established an official government party, theArab Liberation Movement, but it wasboycotted by powerful representatives of civilian political society, such asHashim al-Atassi. The party was progressive and accepted women within its ranks. It called for a limited degree ofsocialism. Some said that he viewed himself as "an ArabCaesar."[5] In mid-1953 Shishakli staged anelection to make himselfPresident, but he was by now facing mounting dissent.
As leader of Syria, Shishakli sought good relations withWestern countries, but maintained Syria's uncompromising stance towardsIsrael.[6] Syrian relations with theHashemite monarchies ofJordan andIraq were poor during his presidency, but he also mistrusted the rapid spread ofNasserism. Many believe thatNasser's Free Officer Revolution of 1952 inEgypt had been modeled after Shishakli's own coups of 1949 and 1951. Shishakli's developed strong relations with KingIbn Saud ofSaudi Arabia, his son, KingSaud bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, and KingTalal ofJordan.
Shishakli greatly liked King Talal who said that he had no ambitions in Syria, unlike his father KingAbdullah I[citation needed]. Despite his pro-Western outlook and family background, Shishakli recognized the desires of Syria'sArab majority and accordingly adopted a policy ofpan-Arabism. He clashed frequently with the independent-mindedDruze minority on theJabal al-Druze mountain range, accusing them of wanting to topple his regime using funds from Jordan. In 1954, he resorted to shellingDruze strongholds inJabal al-Druze to put down resistance to his rule.
His relations with both Britain and the United States were mixed. Britain courted Shishakli during the early period of his rule in the hope that Syria would join plans for a British-led Middle East Defence Organization. The United States offered Shishakli considerable sums of money to settle Palestinian refugees in Syria and turn them into Syrians. Shishakli, although tempted by these offers of Western arms and money, did not take them. The Palestinian situation had soured the Syrian view of the West. Syria wanted revenge rather than to accept defeat and repair Syria's damaged relations with the West and make peace with Israel.[7]
Shishakli also had arrested a lot of active officers in the Syrian Army, including the youngAdnan al-Malki, a prominent Baathist. The largest anti-Shishakli conference had been held in Atassi's home inHoms. Leading the anti-Shishakli movement were Atassi and the veteran Druze leaderSultan al-Atrash. Shishakli had responded by arresting Atassi's son Adnan and Atrash's sonMansur (both of whom were ranking politicians in Syria).[8]
Growing discontent eventually led to anothercoup on 23 February 1954 which overthrew Shishakli. The coup was led by Hashem al-Atassi and military officers from his family and veteran Druze leaderSultan al-Atrash as well as Druze officers, theSyrian Communist Party andBa'ath Party members.
When the insurgency reached its peak, Shishakli backed down, refusing to drag Syria intocivil war.[8] He fled to Lebanon, but when the Druze leaderKamal Jumblat threatened to have him killed, he fled toBrazil. Prior to theunion between Syria and Egypt in 1958, Shishakli toyed with the idea of returning to Syria to launch a coup d'état, using funds provided by Iraq. The coup was foiled by Syrian intelligence and Shishakli was sentenced to deathin absentia.
On 27 September 1964, Shishakli was assassinated inCeres, Brazil byNawaf Ghazaleh, a SyrianDruze who sought revenge for his parents who had died leaving him an orphan during the bombardment of Jabal Druze.[9]
| Preceded by | President of Syria 1953–1954 | Succeeded by |
| French mandate (1922–1930) |  |
|---|---|
| First Syrian Republic (1930–1950) | |
| Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958) | |
| United Arab Republic (1958–1961) | %2c_Flag_of_Syria_(1980%25E2%2580%25932024).svg) |
| Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963) | |
| Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024) | |
| Transitional period (2024–present) | .svg)
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* acting | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
