Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-12-24
BY JOHN GUNTHER.
C0rresnopdepea ~ rrhn c1ar

Three years ago I was in Damascus
when it was city beleaguered against
itself, when it was completely ringed
oy a wall OF wire, with machine guns
pointing both inward and outward
The French were fighting rebels both
within and outside the city.
Now am in Damascus again and
the city Is still strange. The guns
don't f1re any more, but they still are
there. The ring of barbed wire nc
longer holds crouching troops, but IL
still surrounds the city-and sand-bae
parapets still command the great gates
and the main roads.
OF course, there is tremendous diff
ference today. In 1925 Damascus had
apparently ceased to live. The bazaars
were shut; the hotels closed; the streets
virtually empty. Now life rises thick
and high at every street corner, in
every cafe.
But near the great mosque the dust
still lies thick on ruined houses, and
In the suburb of Meidan row on row
OF crumbling deSolation confronts the
visitor, where once were streets. The
areas blasted to bits by the 1925 and
1925 bombardments, even those in the
center OF the city next to the Street
Called Straight. have not yet been re-
paired, and are not to be rebuilt. In
the roof of the Street Called Straight
battered beams still hang down pre-
cariously from jagged splinter holes,
Damascus is additionally the center
OF the Arab world, not in actual poll
tics, certainly, and not in religious
sanctity, but as the dream capital of
the Arabs, the economic and dynastic
focus OF their future, and for a few
short months in 1920-2l Feisal ruled
f11 IA lyiY a..
Damascus it is becoming to reflect a
little on the possibility of pan-Arabism,
Or at least Of some approach to Arab
political unity.
But let it be said at the outset that
the chances of this are inflnitesimally
slight.
If ever the Moslem world did have
good opportunity to express its puta-
tive unity the chance came with the
Palestine riots in August and Septem-
Der. Here was a plain case of fellow
Arabs in trouble; here was an excuse
for unity as convenient as it was ur-
gent And, 1t Is true, responsive demon
STATIONS did occur in sympathy to the
Palestinian Arabs in Beirut, in DamaS-
Gus, in Bagdad, in most other Arab
cities. But nothing came of them. It
was not necessary to revolt. At least
the Arabs might have contributed
something more than a few broken
heads in minor riots.
Nationally, of course, Arab unity is
at present out Of the question. The
British and French mandates in Pales-
tine and Syria have many years to run,
and, when they expire, probably they
will be renewed, The labor government
plans to withdraw from political par
ticipation in the affairs of both Egypt
and Irak: but whether this can cause
any actual coalescence in between is
extremely doubtful. Political unity in
only through "iehad," holy war. And
there is not much of a chance of a
holy war ever happening now. since it
did not happen in conjunction with
Palestine. Anyway, in Syria $4,000
French troops are ready, and in British
inundated territory groups Of small,
sharp, fleet airplanes.
Religiously there appears no chance
of Moslem unity. The concept of
there is no caliph. A conference was
held in Cairo in May, 1925, to try to
choose one, but there were no serious
candidates. The only powerful enough
Moslem potentates in the Middle East
are ReZa Khan of Persia, Mustapha
Renal in Turkey and, above all.
Ibn Saud In Arabia, none of whom
WOulQ Jake the CdllpIlaLe II IL was Of
fered them on flligreed platter, per-
fumed with altar of roses.
In language, of course, the Arabs of
the Middle East have a cultural unity
but there Is nothing much they can dc
| with 1t.
Politically the situation Is even more
hopeless. Turkey stands severely aioof
from all pan-Islamic movements since
pan-Turanism died In the cold hands