NASSER, GAMAL ABDEL

born Jan. 15, 1918, Alexandria, Egypt died Sept. 28, 1970, Cairo Nasser, photograph by Yousuf Karsh Arabic Jamal 'abd An-naser army officer, prime minister (195456) and then president (195670) of Egypt, who became a controversial leader of the Arab world, creating the short-lived United Arab Republic (195861), twice fighting losing wars with Israel (1956, 1967), and engaging in such inter-Arab policies as mediating the Jordanian civil war (1970). Additional reading Robert St. John, The Boss (1961), is the definitive biography. Wilton Wynn, Nasser of Egypt: The Search for Dignity (1959), offers a brief but extremely sympathetic biography by a former Associated Press correspondent in Cairo. Keith Wheelock, Nasser's New Egypt (1960), is one of the best books about Egypt during Nasser's time. Tom Little, Egypt (1958), by a long-time British expert, concentrates on Nasser and Egypt. Miles Copeland, The Game of Nations (1969), by a former Central Intelligence Agency official, discusses Middle Eastern intrigues, especially in the United Arab Republic.