When Husni Zaim seized power from Shukri al- Quwatli on 30 March 1949, Syria's economy was a parlous state and its army had been beaten the previous November by the Israelis. Zaim knew that he needed to take action on both fronts fast. After overthrowing al- Quwatli bloodlessly, he set out to open peace talks with the Israelis and mend relations with the French via a currency agreement and an arms deal that would pave the way for renewed French influence in the former mandate. But Zaim's reign did not last long. One hundred and thirty-seven days after he had taken power, on 14 August he too was overthrown and executed.Anonymous
About This Quote
In 1949, as a result of Husni Zaim’s actions, the Syrian president was overthrown and executed. In this particular case, Husni Zaim took action against Shukri al-Quwatli who he deemed as being stupid for refusing to accept the United Nations partition plan. However, after a few months of being in power, Zaim too was removed from power and killed. This is a great example of how sometimes you have to take action and move quickly to avoid disaster.
There are situations where people cannot be trusted to take the right steps. For example, if everyone in government deep down agreed on what they were doing, there would be no need for them to be overthrown or removed from power.
Source: A Line In The Sand: Britain, France And The Struggle For The Mastery Of The Middle East
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