Ba'ath Party (Iraqi-led faction)

This article should not be confused with the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region, the Ba'ath Party's regional cell established in 1951.
Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party
حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي
Leader Izzat Ibrahim ad-Douri
Founded 1966 (1966)
Headquarters de jure Baghdad, Iraq,
in exile
Newspaper Al-Thawra
Ideology Ba'athism
Official colors Black, Red, White and Green (Pan-Arab colors)
Party flag

The Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party (also spelled Ba'th or Baath which means "resurrection" or "renaissance"; Arabic: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي‎ Hizb Al-Ba'ath Al-'Arabi Al-Ishtiraki) is a pan-Arab nationalist and Arab socialist political party which was headquartered in Baghdad. The party is one of the two parties (with identical names) that emerged out the 1966 split in the original Ba'ath Party.

The Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party was a cell of the Ba'ath Party until 1966 when the organisation split in half; the one half led by the Damascus cell of the Ba'ath Party which established a party in Syria, the other half led by the then newly-established Iraqi Ba'ath Party. Both Ba'ath parties retained the same name and maintained parallel structures in the Arab World, but became so antagonistic that the Syrian Ba'ath regime became the only Arab government to support non-Arab Iran against Iraq during the bloody Iran-Iraq War. Ba'athists seized power in Iraq for the first time in 1963, but were deposed some months later. The party's regional organisation governed Ba'athist Iraq between 1968 and 2003, for many years under the leadership of Saddam Hussein. The party was banned in Iraq following the United States invasion of Iraq in 2003.

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Iraq

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Main article: Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region

In Iraq, the Ba'ath party remained a civilian group and lacked strong support within the military. The party had little impact, and the movement split into several factions after 1958 and again in 1966. The movement was reported to have lacked strong popular support,[1] but through the construction of a strong party apparatus the party succeeded in gaining power. The Iraqi-based party was originally committed to Pan-Arabism like its Syrian counterpart but after taking power in 1968 the party adopted Iraqi nationalism and encouraged Iraqis to identify themselves as the cultural and civilizational heirs to Mesopotamian and Medieval Islamic identity.[2] Saddam Hussein sought to be seen as the leader of a great neo-Mesopotamian Iraqi nation by having himself compared to Nebuchadnezzar II and Hammurabi.[3]

In June 2003, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) banned the Ba'ath party. Some criticize the additional step the CPA took—of banning all members of the top four tiers of the Ba'ath Party from the new government, as well as from public schools and colleges—as blocking too many experienced people from participation in the new government. Thousands were removed from their positions, including doctors, professors, school teachers, bureaucrats and more. Many teachers lost their jobs, causing protests and demonstrations at schools and universities. Under the previous rule of the Ba'ath party, one could not reach high positions in the government or in the schools without becoming a party member. In fact, party membership was a prerequisite for university admission. In other words, while many Ba'athists joined for ideological reasons, many more were members because it was a way to better their options. After much pressure by the US, the policy of de-Ba'athification was addressed by the Iraqi government in January, 2008 in the highly controversial "Accountability and Justice Act" which was supposed to ease the policy, but which many feared would actually lead to further dismissals.[4]

The Ba'ath Party is currently led by Saddam's former deputy Izzat Ibrahim Al-Douri.

Jordan

Main article: Jordanian Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party

Following the establishment of the Arab Ba'ath Movement in Syria in 1947, ba'athist ideas spread throughout the Arab world. In Jordan ba'athist thought first spread to the East Bank in the late-1940s, most notably at universities. While the regional branch was not formed before 1951, several meetings took place at the universities were students and professors alike would discuss the ideology of the newly established Syrian ba'athist party.[5] Several people expressed their support for ba'athist ideology at this meetings, but the regional branch itself was not formed until 1951 in Karak by a group of teachers.[6]

Libya

Main article: Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Libya Region

The party was founded as a regional branch of the pan-Arab Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party by Amr Taher Deghayes.[7] Ba'athism was a major political force in Libya following the establishment of the United Arab Republic (UAR). Many intellectuals were attracted to ba'athist ideology during the later years of the Kingdom of Libya. However, with help from nasserist propaganda, several ba'athists changed affiliation and became nasserists instead.[8] The growth of these pan-Arab ideologies concerned the government, which led to several nasserists and ba'athists in 1960 and 1962 respectively who worked in the military were jailed.[9] The ba'athist were accused of working to overthrow "the political, economic and social system" of the Kingdom; the sentences ranged from everything to eight months to two years.[10]

Mauritania

Main article: National Vanguard Party

The branch was founded in 1991, during the Gulf crisis.[11] The Mauritanian Ba'ath Party remains the largest arab nationalist political force in the country. The branch has maintained good relations with the Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party even after Saddam Hussein's downfall following the United States invasion of Iraq.[12] The party was able to field candidates for seats in parliament during the 1992 parliamentary elections, and was the only party, with the exception of the Republican Party for Democracy and Renewal, to field candidates for the Senate elections.[13] The party was illegalised in 1999[14], and the branch's leader was jailed for a short time in 2003.[15]

Yemen

Main article: National Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Yemen Region

The branch's regional secretary is Dr. Qassem Salam Said.[16] Abdulwahid Hawash serves as the deputy secretary.[17] The party publishes the newspaper al-Ehyaa al-Arabi (لإحياء العربي, 'Arabic Renaissance').[18]

Others

There are several other ba'athist branches as well, such as the Ba'ath Party in Algeria led by Ahmed Choutri,[19] the Nationalist Democratic Assembly in Bahrain led by Rasul al-Jishi,[20] the Socialist Arab Lebanon Vanguard Party led by Abdul Majid Mohamed Tayeb Rafi,[21] the Arab Liberation Front in Palestine led by Mahmoud Ismael, Ba'ath Party in Sudan led by Kamal Bolad,[22] the Ba'ath Movement in Tunisia led by Omar Othman Belhadj and a Iraqi Ba'ath cell in Syria.

References

  1. ^ The Economist, London, 24–30 June 1978, p. 78.
  2. ^ Alexander J. Motyl. Encyclopedia of Nationalism: Leaders, Movements, and Concepts, Volume II. Academic Press, 2001. Pp. 240.
  3. ^ Alexander J. Motyl. Encyclopedia of Nationalism: Leaders, Movements, and Concepts, Volume II. Academic Press, 2001. Pp. 240.
  4. ^ Paley, Amit R.; Joshua Partlow (23 January 2008). "Iraq's New Law on Ex-Baathists Could Bring Another Purge". http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/22/AR2008012203538.html. Retrieved 26 November 2011. 
  5. ^ Anderson, Betty Singy (2005). Nationalist Voices in Jordan: The Street and the State. University of Texas Press. p. 135. ISBN 978–0292706251. 
  6. ^ Anderson, Betty Singy (2005). Nationalist Voices in Jordan: The Street and the State. University of Texas Press. p. 136. ISBN 978–0292706251. 
  7. ^ Wright, John (1981). Libya: a Modern History. Taylor & Francis. p. 277. ISBN 978–0709927274. 
  8. ^ Wright, John (1981). Libya: a Modern History. Taylor & Francis. p. 94. ISBN 978–0709927274. 
  9. ^ Wright, John (1981). Libya: a Modern History. Taylor & Francis. p. 96. ISBN 978–0709927274. 
  10. ^ Leslie Simmons, Geoffrey (1993). Libya: The Struggle for Survival. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 161. ISBN 978–031208997X. 
  11. ^ Lane, Jan-Erik; Redissi, Hamadi; Ṣaydāwī, Riyāḍ (2009). Religion and Politics: Islam and Muslim Civilization. Ashgate Publishing. p. 217. ISBN 978–0754674185. 
  12. ^ Seddon, David (2004). A Political and Economic Dictionary of the Middle East. Taylor & Francis. p. 87. ISBN 978–1857432126. 
  13. ^ Banks, Arhur S.; Muller, Thomas; Overstreet, William (2008). Political Handbook of the World 2008. CQ Press. p. 848. ISBN 978–0872895289. 
  14. ^ East, Roger; Thomas, Richard (1999). Profiles of People in Power: The World's Government Leaders. Routledge. p. 345. ISBN 978–185743126X. 
  15. ^ Europa Publications (2003). Africa South of the Sahara 2004. Routledge. p. 702. ISBN 978–1857431839. 
  16. ^ United States Government (23 February 2001). "Yemen: Country Reports on Human Rights Practices". Department of State. http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2000/nea/826.htm. Retrieved 30 November 2011. 
  17. ^ al-Qiri, Mohammed (7 February 2009). "Third Yemeni Ba’ath party planned". Yemen Observer. http://www.yobserver.com/local-news/10015730.html. Retrieved 4 December 2011. 
  18. ^ "الأحزاب السياسية العربية: اليمن: حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي القومي [Arab political parties: Yemen: The National Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party]" (in Arabic). United Nations Development Programme – Arab Parliaments.org. http://www.arabparliaments.org/arabic/whatwedo/parties.aspx?cid=22&pid=206. Retrieved 4 December 2011. 
  19. ^ Farid, Sonia (9 August 2008). "Algerian Baath Party resumes underground activities". ALFnews. http://www.alfnews.com/arabic-news/71469.html. Retrieved 25 November 2011. 
  20. ^ "Nationalist Democratic Rally Society [جمعية التجمع القومي الديمقراطي]" (in Arabic). Alwasat. 9 August 2008. http://www.alwasatnews.com/index.php?plugin=elections&act=read&id=51. Retrieved 25 November 2011. 
  21. ^ "Political Programme of the Socialist Arab Lebanon Vanguard Party" (in Arabic). Lebanon Knowledge Development Gateway. http://lkdg.org/ar/node/1146. Retrieved 25 November 2011. 
  22. ^ Lain, Donald Ray (1989). "Dictionary of the African Left: Parties, Movements and Groups". Dartmouth. pp. 58 –60. ISBN 978–1855210142. 

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