The Topsy-Turvy Ba'ath Parties of Iraq and Syria

[cthulu2016]

The Ba'ath Party was an Arab political party advocating the formation of a single Arab socialist nation. It's greatest effects were in Iraq and Syria where men under the Ba'ath umbrella managed to become dictatorial leaders.

Sunni Arab Saddam Hussein took over Iraq in the 1960s and ruled largely Shia and Kurd Iraq for a long time.

Ba'aths also took power in Syria in the 1960s. Shia Arab (Alawite, specifically) Hafiz al-Assad of the “nationalist” wing of the Syrian Ba'ath Party bested the "progressive" wing (also Alawite led, as noted in a reply below) and took power in 1970 over that largely Sunni nation.

Just an interesting footnote—that the two big Ba'ath strong-men were both from religious minorities in their respective nations. Not hard to see why both would leave civil war in their wake, I guess. (A reply below seems to feel this unexceptional comment is pro US empire rather than a statement of the fricking obvious. "In their wake" means what it means. The weakening or fall of an ethnic or religious minority dictator pretty much anywhere is a dynamic prone to sectarian strife.)

The problem is that the whole world started going fundamentalist throughout the 1970s and the sectarian tensions in both Syria and Iraq grew and grew... the opposite of the secular Ba'ath plan. In the 1960s-1970s religion was not as huge a deal in the Arab world as it is today. Even the PLO was pretty much a communist organization.

If only they could have traded places... seriously, though, that wouldn't have worked either. Iraq and Syria were supposed to become one big Ba'ath nation, but there were just too many differences between the two regimes. (And nations.)

[JVS]

1. "the two big Ba'ath strong-men were both from religious minorities"

This is not surprising considering that the movement promoted secularism.

[cthulu2016]

2. Exactly. But over time, that became more of a problem.

[delrem]

3. Bullshit! BULLSHIT!!

If the US hadn't bombed fuck out of Iraq, if the US hadn't formed "Friends of Syria" and encouraged war, there would be NO CIVIL WAR IN THOSE COUNTRIES.

I call bullshit, BULLSHIT, on the US get out of jail exoneration card that you're playing.

[cthulu2016]

5. Whatever. You might be better served to find

someone you have a substantial disagreement with.

What is with people who are in a state yammering about my supposed role in their interior drama?

"The US get out of jail exoneration card that I'm playing" is in your head.

There are plenty or real war-mongers, apologists and administration stooges to yell at here. Really. Lots of them. Go find some and yell at them.

[delrem]

7. You spouted bullshit rhetoric that blamed the victims (of US war crimes).

bye.

[David__77]

4. The pre-Assad leadership of Syrian Baath was also headed by Alawites.

An interesting discussion would the US role in how and why things "started going fundamentalist throughout the 1970s." Indeed, the US even did what it could to sabotage the Shah and facilitate the coming to power of the Islamic Revolution, although in a partially unwitting fashion.

[cthulu2016]

6. Good point.