Revolt No. 7

In Damascus one morning last week, the Syrian army moved with smooth precision. Up to government buildings rolled Soviet-built armored cars. Troops sealed off the airport, the radio station, the homes of Cabinet ministers. Borders with neighboring countries were closed, and airplanes arriving from outside were waved away. "It was almost a classical maneuver." said a Western observer admiringly. "But then the Syrians are more practiced in this than anyone else." Possibly they are; last week's military coup d'etat was the seventh in 13 years. It came six months to the day after the last, in which the army shattered Syria's link with Gamal Abdel Nasser's Egypt.

Engineered largely by the same officers who led the September revolt, last week's uprising had advance warning. Ever since President Nazem El-Koudsi was elected in December, there had been widespread grumbling at his regime's conservative measures: watering down the land-reform system to favor landowners, repealing nationalization laws passed when Nasser's socialists were in charge. Two months ago demonstrations against the government broke out among students and workers. Early last week a delegation of young officers called on President Koudsi at El Mohjerin palace to present their demands for sweeping reforms. They called for dissolution of the pork-barreling Assembly, declared themselves in favor of new elections. Koudsi asked time to consider their demands. While he was considering, the armored cars rolled.

The army had chosen just the right time for the coup. Not only were Koudsi and his Premier, Marouf Dawalibi, in disfavor, but the army's reputation was at an alltime high, since it had performed creditably during the Israeli raids a fortnight earlier. The soldiers locked up President Koudsi, Premier Dawalibi, and some 90 deputies and administration officials in a prison hospital.

The military junta probably will not force the nation back with Nasser's Egypt despite their liking for his brand of socialism. One day there might be elections again, but it would not be soon.

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