National Alliance (Arab Union)

The National Alliance (Arabic: التحالف القومي at-taḥāluf al-qawmī), colloquially known as the Nationalists (القوميون al-qawmīyūn), is one of two major coalitions of political parties in the Arab Union. Consisting of the majority of federal opposition parties within both houses of the Arab Congress, as well as the majority of parties in opposition in the national legislative assemblies of the union's 20 member republics, the National Alliance is considered a "big-tent" of political movements opposed primarily to the leftist nature of the incumbent government, consisting mostly of right-wing nationalist as well as reactionary and fascistic but officially secular parties (Islamist and other religious extremist parties such as the Muslim Brotherhood and Phalangist Movement are outlawed). The National Alliance's counterpart is the National Progressive Front (NPF), which is led by the ruling Ba'ath Party and also includes those parties which officially support the Ba'ath Party, most notably the Arab Communist Party.

The National Alliance has a paramilitary wing called the Arab Nationalist Front (ANF), which during the 2011–19 Arab Civil War fought against the Arab Army and its allies in several campaigns, often supported by Al-Qaeda, Muslim Brotherhood and/or Phalangist forces. In April 2017, as the reality of an ultimate government victory became clear, the National Alliance parties' civilian leadership officially suspended participation in hostilities, vowing to return to exclusively political and legal methods of opposition and condemning any continued acts of violence by ANF forces. Most ANF brigades were retired, but almost 20% of ANF fighters refused to agree to the ceasefire and defected to more extremist brigades such as Al-Qaeda's Al-Nusra Front. Since 2018, the majority of members of all National Alliance parties continue to participate in legal federal- or republican-level legislative politics, but at least 10 members of National Alliance parties have in the same period been arrested and charged with providing continued funding and/or other forms of support to insurgent forces.

Following the end of the war in August 2019, most remaining former ANF fighters were disarmed and tried before courts martial, receiving varying sentences. Many former ANF commanders were allowed to resume peaceful political activities as civilian members of their respective National Alliance party, and the Arab Union government's State Committee for National Reconciliation set up a reintegration program aimed at transforming violent political expressions into �constructive, peaceful political debate, in both republican legislatures and the federal Arab Congress. Many members of National Alliance parties, currently incarcerated due to their participation in ANF operations during the civil war, will be eligible to return to civilian politics following their release, with terms averaging three to four years.