Blood Ba'ath: The Rise and Fall of the Ba'ath Party in Syria and Iraq

• Main Author: Dhalla, Alisha Malika
• Format: Others
• Published: Scholarship @ Claremont 2017
• Subjects: Middle East; political stability; party building; Syria; Iraq; Comparative Politics; International Relations; Islamic World and Near East History; Near and Middle Eastern Studies
• Online Access: http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/1654; http://scholarship.claremont.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2673&context=cmc_theses

The Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party was established in Syria during the mid-twentieth century, originally championing Arab unity and freedom from foreign influence. The party eventually managed to rise to power in Syria and Iraq, thereby concluding the widespread political instability that had previously plagued both countries. In each of these contexts, autocratic leaders emerged at the forefront of the ruling regimes and manipulated the party to bolster their rule for over three decades. This paper examines the Ba’ath party’s history and ideology to understand the party’s source of strength. It also discusses the party’s role in achieving power as well as the different functions it undertook in Syria and Iraq once autocratic rule was established. Finally, it studies the fall of both regimes and the status of the Ba’ath party today.