Jamal al-Atassi

Jamal Al-Atassi
Lu'ay al-Atassi (left) with Jamal al-Atassi
Minister of Information
In office March 1963 – July 1963
President	Lu'ay al-Atassi
Prime Minister	Salah al-Din al-Bitar
Personal details
Born	1922 Homs, Syria
Died	2000 (aged 78)
Political party	Democratic Arab Socialist Union
Other political affiliations	Arab Socialist Union (until 1972) Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party (until 1966)
Children	Suheir Atassi
Alma mater	Damascus University
Occupation	Clinical Psychologist Journalist

Arab Socialist Union (until 1972)

Jamal Al-Atassi (1922−2000) (Arabic: جمال الأتاسي‎‎) was a Syrian Arab nationalist, politician and author. He was one of the earliest ideologues of the nascent Syrian Ba'ath Party, which he joined soon after it was founded. He helped to lay out its constitution and was the man who came up with the party's motto, "One united Arab Nation with an eternal Message." He also served as chief editor of the party's daily newspaper, Al Baath.

Dr. Atassi belonged to a prominent political family, and was educated at Damascus University where he earned a PhD in clinical psychology in 1947. He practiced in this field from 1950-1958, in his home town and Atassi political base of Homs, until lured into the public arena by the Arab nationalist movement led by the Egyptian president, Gamal Abdel Nasser. Atassi strongly supported the union with Egypt that formed the United Arab Republic in 1958. Once again eschewing his medical training, Atassi returned to journalism and became chief editor of the pro-Nasser daily, Al Jamaheer (The Masses) until the union became defunct in 1961. During this time he worked, lectured and campaigned in favor of Nasser. When a coup in Syria dissolved the union, he became a vocal member of the opposition dedicated to restoring the UAR.

This position put him at odds with the country's new democratic government led by Nazim al-Kudsi, and he was a political outcast during those years from 1961 to 1963, when a new coup in March of that year brought to power a more nationalist and unionist wing of the Baath. Jamal's own cousin, the future president Nureddin al-Atassi became Minister of the Interior, and Jamal became Minister of Information in the cabinet of Prime Minister Salah al-Din al-Bitar, one of the founders of the Baath party. He was also voted into the party's Revolutionary Command Council. A mere four months later Atassi resigned after coming to the realization that restoration of the UAR was not a party priority. He then formed his own party, the Arab Socialist Union, an umbrella group of dedicated unionists who wanted to restore the UAR and reappoint Nasser as president of Syria.