Courageous Premier

Strapping Hasan Hakim, 65, wears the tarboosh of an Arab bourgeois but no man's collar. Between the two world wars he plied his profession as a financial expert all through the Middle East--in Jordan, Palestine, Syria--and won little popularity or following because of the backroom nature of his job and because of his blunt frankness. But he is regarded as an honest man, a mark of true distinction in Middle East politics.

Last week, installed as Syria's new Premier, primarily to clear up the country's financial mess, Hakim again took an unpopular stand. He declared that Syria (which is roughly equal in size and population to Missouri) should align itself with the West, a point of view which sometimes results in having one's head blown off. Surprisingly, Syria's strong man, Lieut. Colonel Adib Shishakli, who had approved Hakim's premiership, made no objection; neither was there popular outcry. Hakim's reasoning, in interviews with newspapermen, was hardheaded:

"Since arms cannot be obtained except from the Western bloc . . . it is in our interest to side with this bloc out of our own free will, as Turkey did . . . Such an association would guarantee our safety, liberty and independence and would also secure a just settlement of our pending questions, and that of Palestine in particular . . . Neutrality is impossible ... At the present critical moment neutrality is considered by the Western bloc as animosity, and if we gain the animosity of the Western bloc, it may drive that bloc to continue to hurt us. If, at the moment of need, we take a neutral stand and leave the burden of defending the Middle East to Turkey and Israel, we should not be astonished if the West should recompense them at our expense for their loyalty. If we are not strong, at least let us be wise."

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