Supporters of Nasser annually commemorate the date of Syrian secession from the United Arab Republic. But this was not a shining moment for Nasser: it was a confirmation of the lousy management of the unity experiment which later only fortified the most narrow forms of nationalism and ethnocentrism in the region. Let us also not forget the the dissolution of the Lebanese communist leader, Faraj-allah Al-Hilu in H2SO4. Of course, one has to also note the reactionary (and external) orientation of the coup plotters.