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Khalid al-Azm
خالد العظم
Interim President of Syria
In office 4 April 1941 – 16 September 1941
Preceded by	Bahij al-Khatib
Succeeded by	Taj al-Din al-Hasani
13th, 22nd, 27th, 29th & 46th Prime Minister of Syria
In office 4 April 1941 – 21 September 1941
Preceded by	Nasuhi al-Bukhari
Succeeded by	Hassan al-Hakim
In office 16 December 1946 – 29 December 1946
President	Shukri al-Quwatli
Preceded by	Saadallah al-Jabiri
Succeeded by	Jamil Mardam Bey
In office 16 December 1948 – 30 March 1949
President	Shukri al-Quwatli
Preceded by	Jamil Mardam Bey
Succeeded by	Husni al-Za'im
In office 27 December 1949 – 4 June 1950
President	Hashim al-Atassi
Preceded by	Nazim al-Kudsi
Succeeded by	Nazim al-Kudsi
In office 27 March 1951 – 9 August 1951
President	Hashim al-Atassi
Preceded by	Nazim al-Kudsi
Succeeded by	Hassan al-Hakim
In office 17 September 1962 – 9 March 1963
President	Nazim al-Kudsi
Preceded by	Bashir al-Azma
Succeeded by	Salah al-Din Bitar
Personal details
Born	6 November 1903 Damascus, Syria Vilayet, Ottoman Empire
Died	18 February 1965 (aged 62) Beirut, Lebanon
Political party	Independent

Khalid al-Azm (Arabic: خالد العظم, romanized: Khālid al-ʿAẓim;‎ 11 June 1903 – 18 November 1965) was a Syrian politician and five-time interim Prime Minister, as well as Acting President from 4 April to 16 September 1941. He was a member of one of the most prominent political families in Syria, al-Azm (also known as Alazem or Al Azem), and the son of an Ottoman minister of religious affairs.

Career

He graduated from the University of Damascus in 1923 with a degree in law, and joined the city government in 1925. At this time he also actively ran his family's estates throughout the country. In the 1930s, he became close associates with leading members of the anti-French National Bloc coalition such as future presidents Hashim al-Atassi and Shukri al-Kuwatli. He remained a longtime supporter of the former, but often quarreled with the latter, whom he accused of being too authoritarian. In 1941 the French appointed him Prime Minister and Acting President, having had no success in finding a viable candidate since the resignation of the nationalist Atassi in 1939. However he was replaced 5 months later with a French loyalist, Taj al-Din al-Hasani. Azm served repeatedly in parliament and in the cabinet from 1943 to 1947. He became a focus of opposition when he resigned from the cabinet in 1945 and lead the forces opposed to Kuwatli's drive to amend the constitution to allow himself a second term in office. Kuwatli prevailed, and Azm ran against him in 1947 and lost. However he accepted the position of envoy to France and served in that capacity for a year. He concluded successful arms purchases from France and later from the Soviet Union. In May 1948, Azm agreed to form a multi-party cabinet under Kuwatli which served until March 1949. He allied himself with France and the United States and attempted to obtain loans from them for domestic development. He traveled frequently to attend United Nations assemblies on the Palestinian problem. Azm clashed with members of the military, especially Chief of Staff Husni al-Za'im. The latter launched a coup d'état on 29 March 1949 and imprisoned both Azm and president Kuwatli. When Za'im was overthrown five months later, Azm returned to parliament as deputy for Damascus and became Minister of Finance. He was also elected into the Constituent Assembly that drafted a new constitution for Syria. He became Prime Minister again under Hashim al-Atassi's second administration, in June 1950, heading three cabinets between then and 1951. Azm closed the border to Lebanese goods in an attempt to prevent the crash of domestic Syrian industry due to rampant Lebanese imports. He also clashed repeatedly with the military because he refused to appoint officers in any of his cabinets, and always reserved the defense portfolio for himself. He also clashed with pro-Hashemite elements in Syrian politics that advocated union with Iraq. Socialists distrusted him because of his aristocratic and wealthy Ottoman background. Azm left the public arena from 1951 to 1954 in protest over the coup of Adib al-Shishakli which toppled Atassi's democratic administration.

Opposition to Nasser

After the deposition of Shishakli, Azm again lost to Kuwatli in the presidential election of 1955. He retired briefly, then reemerged in November 1956 to enter the cabinet of Prime Minister Sabri al-Assali as minister of defense. Azm played a key role in achieving an alliance with the USSR, and traveled there repeatedly to arrange loans, economic pacts and arm sales, angering the United States, where he was nicknamed the "Red Millionaire". This name was even adopted by the Syria Press in the 1950s, although he was not a socialist, and in fact opposed the pre-eminent advocate of state socialism in the Arab World, Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser. He opposed in vain the union with Egypt in 1958 which created the United Arab Republic, arguing that Nasser would destroy Syria's democratic system and free market economy. Azm once again deserted political life during the Union years (1958–1961), and moved to Lebanon.

Military instability

When the union was dissolved he returned to Syria, helped draft the secessionist document himself, and tried to run for presidential office but his candidacy was thwarted by the military. Nazim al-Kudsi was elected, and Azm returned to parliament as deputy for Damascus. On 28 March 1962, yet another coup toppled the civilian administration, and Kudsi and Azm were both imprisoned. On 2 April a counter coup released them, and Azm became Prime Minister again under Kudsi. The two men allied with former president Kuwatli to rid the army of pro-Nasserist elements, and reverse the austere program of nationalization instituted by Nasser when he was head of the UAR. Before this could be achieved, the socialist Ba'ath Party came to power in Syria in March 1963 and both Azm and Qudsi fled into exile.

Death

Azm relocated permanently to Beirut, where he lived in difficult financial circumstances, his vast Syrian holdings having been appropriated by the Baathists. There he died and was buried on 18 February 1965. His memoirs were published posthumously in 1973.

Honours and awards

Foreign honours

• Grand Officer of the Order of the White Lion (1957)

References

• Sami Moubayed, Steel & Silk: Men and Women Who Shaped Syria 1900–2000 (Seattle: Cune Press, 2005)

Notes

1. "Československý řád Bílého lva 1923–1990" (PDF). Archiv Kanceláře prezidenta republiky. Retrieved 17 October 2024.

v t e French Mandate of Syria
States	State of Syria State of Aleppo State of Damascus Al-Jazira Province Jabal Druze State Alawite State Sanjak of Alexandretta Greater Lebanon
Conflicts	1919 revolt Franco-Syrian War Battle of Maysalun Capture of Damascus Hananu Revolt 1925–1927 revolt Epic of Ain Albu Gomaa Capture of Salkhad Battle of al-Kafr Battle of al-Mazraa Battle of al-Musayfirah 1925 Hama uprising 1936 general strike Syria–Lebanon campaign Levant Crisis
Treaties	Sykes–Picot Agreement (1916) Paulet–Newcombe Agreement (1920) Franco-Syrian Treaty of Independence (1936)
People	Syrian Yusuf al-Azma Saleh al-Ali Ibrahim Hananu Hashim al-Atassi Mustafa Bey Barmada Shukri al-Quwatli Khalid al-Azm Mar'i Pasha al-Mallah Jamil Mardam Bey Kamil Pasha al-Qudsi Sultan al-Atrash Saadallah al-Jabiri Haqqi al-Azm Ayyash Al-Haj Abd al-Rahman Shahbandar French French High Commissioner Charles de Gaulle Henri Gouraud

v t e Presidents of Syria (list)
Syrian Federation (1922–1924)	Barakat
State of Syria (1925–1930)	Barakat Pierre-Alype* Nami al-Hasani*
First Syrian Republic (1930–1950)	al-Hasani* Solomiac* al-Abid H. al-Atassi al-Khatib al-Azm* al-Hasani al-Ulshi* al-Ayyubi al-Quwatli al-Za'im al-Hinnawi* H. al-Atassi
Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958)	H. al-Atassi Shishakli* Selu Shishakli al-Kuzbari* H. al-Atassi al-Quwatli
United Arab Republic (1958–1961)	Nasser
Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963)	al-Kuzbari* al-Nuss* al-Qudsi
Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024)	L. al-Atassi al-Hafiz N. al-Atassi al-Khatib* H. al-Assad Khaddam* B. al-Assad
* acting

v t e Prime ministers of Syria (list)
Arab Kingdom of Syria (1920)	al-Rikabi H. al-Atassi* Al-Droubi al-Ulshi
State of Syria (1925–1930)	Barakat al-Hasani* Nami al-Hasani
First Syrian Republic (1930–1950)	al-Hasani H. al-Azm al-Hasani A. al-Ayyubi Mardam al-Haffar al-Bukhari post vacant, 1939–41 K. al-Azm al-Hakim H. al-Barazi al-Ulshi al-Jabiri al-Khoury al-Jabiri K. al-Azm* Mardam K. al-Azm al-Za'im M. al-Barazi H. al-Atassi al-Qudsi K. al-Azm al-Qudsi
Second Syrian Republic (1950–1958)	al-Qudsi K. al-Azm al-Hakim al-Khatib al-Dawalibi Selu Shishakli al-Asali al-Ghazzi al-Khoury al-Asali al-Ghazzi al-Asali
United Arab Republic (1958–1961)	Kahala Sarraj
Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963)	al-Kuzbari al-Nuss al-Dawalibi al-Azma K. al-Azm
Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024)	al-Bitar al-Hafiz al-Bitar al-Hafiz Zuayyin al-Bitar Zuayyin N. al-Atassi al-Assad Khleifawi M. al-Ayyubi Khleifawi al-Halabi al-Kasm Al-Zoubi Mero al-Otari Safar Hijab Ghalawanji* al-Halqi Khamis Arnous al-Jalali
Transitional period (2024–present)	al-Jalali* al-Bashir
* acting

v t e Syrian ministers of defense
Kingdom of Syria (1920)	al-Ulshi al-'Azma
French Mandate of Syria (1920–1946) post established 1932	al-Atrash al-Quwatli al-Ayyubi al-Bukhari
First and Second Syrian Republic (1946–1958)	Mardam Bey al-Azm al-Jabiri al-'Azma al-Sharabati al-Za'im Atfeh al-Hawrani Selu Barmada al-Khatib Khankan al-Dawalibi al-Ghazzi Raslan
United Arab Republic (1958–1961)	Amer
Second Syrian Republic (1961–1963)	al-Kuzbari al-Nuss Barmada Zahreddine
Ba'athist Syria (1963–2024) post-1963 Syrian coup d'état	al-Sufi al-Hariri Ziade Jaber Ubayd Umran al-Assad Tlass Turkmani Mahmud Rajiha al-Freij Ayyoub Abbas

• 1903 births
• 1965 deaths
• Al-Azm family
• Ambassadors of Syria to Belgium
• Ambassadors of Syria to France
• Ambassadors of Syria to Switzerland
• Damascus University alumni
• Foreign ministers of Syria
• Leaders ousted by a coup
• Members of the People's Assembly of Syria
• Politicians from Damascus
• Presidents of Syria
• Prime ministers of Syria
• Ministers of defense of Syria
• Ministers of finance of Syria
• Syrian people of Turkish descent
• 20th-century Syrian politicians
• 20th-century presidents in Asia
• Syrian exiles
• Grand Officers of the Order of the White Lion