The Arab Federation of Iraq and Jordan was a short-lived country that was formed in 1958 from the union of Iraq and Jordan. Although the name implies a federal structure, it was de facto a confederation.The Federation was formed on February 14, 1958, when King Faisal II of Iraq and his cousin, King Hussein of Jordan, sought to unite their two Hashemite kingdoms, as a response to the formation of the United Arab Republic. The union lasted only six months, being officially dissolved on August 2, 1958, after Faisal was deposed by a military coup on July 14.



Historical attempts to unify

From the 1930s on the Hashemite dynasty tried to promote Arab unity. This was witnessed the efforts of Iraq and Jordan to unite at three different times. "From the Iraqi perspective, Jordan had little to offer, either economically or strategically, to counterbalance its numerous liabilities" Maddy-Weitzman, Bruce. "Jordan and Iraq: Efforts at Intra-Hashimite Unity." Middle Eastern Studies 26 (1990): 65-75. JSTOR. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 9 Mar. 2009 [1]. Page 65.. These liabilities included Jordanian King Abdallah"s moderation on the Arab-Israeli conflict, his being at the behest of Britain, and the unstable relationship between King Abdallah and his nephew, Iraqi regent, Abdul-Illah. Regardless of these issues, the two countries first attempted unification during in 1946-1947 and was introduced by King Abdallah "Stemming from his renewed promotion of the Greater Syria Scheme"Maddy-Weitzman, Bruce. "Jordan and Iraq: Efforts at Intra-Hashimite Unity." Middle Eastern Studies 26 (1990). : 65-75. JSTOR. University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. 9 Mar. 2009 [2]. Page 65.. The second time was in 1951-1952 and it resulted from the attempt to rescue Jordan and the Hashemite control after King Abdallah was assassinated. 1958 marked the third alliance, which came out of the shared regional interests between Iraq and Jordan against the expansion of the United Arab Republic.