Page "Arab Islamic Republic" Paragraph 9

As a consequence of the ideological differences, there was also a considerable divergence as to what the merger would look like.

As understood by Bourguiba, the states themselves would not dissipate, but rather their borders would become " cooperatively permeable " through " functional integration ," in a similar manner to the contemporary Arab Maghrib Union, formed over a decade later.

Conversely, Gaddafi was more interested in a complete merging of Libya and Tunisia into the Arab Islamic Republic.

He saw Libya as a revolutionary movement rather than a territorial state.

Gaddafi felt that they were one people, and that the borders were only a product of the ruling elites and imperialist divides by conquerors.