'The devil's pipe ruins the soul of prayer' Nov 21, 2009
A former stronghold of the communists and the now-outlawed Ba'ath party, it had a colorful cultural scene and a relatively relaxed approach to alcohol. Asmer describes a city steeped in song. (Asia Times Online)
The rise of Rimland? Nov 13, 2009
The agreements also coincidentally signify the irretrievable downfall of the ideology and practice of the transnational Arab socialist Ba'ath party, of which remnants are present and active throughout a number of state structures in the Arab world, although an Iraq-Syria split dating from the mid-1960s had already destroyed its pretensions to any sort of universalism. The Ba'ath party had taken power in Iraq in 1963 and Saddam was its last significant representative in power, although it... (Asia Times Online)
Iraqi shock turns to fury over bombings Nov 4, 2009
"Such attacks will not weaken Maliki or undermine people's confidence in his government," he said, adding that those responsible for the atrocities were supporters of al-Qaeda and Ba'ath party elements in neighboring countries. "The bombs are a clear proof of their hatred towards the Iraqi people.". (Asia Times Online)
The 'other' Kurdistan seethes with rage Oct 16, 2009
The Cold War Arab socialism of the Ba'ath party was, for the Kurds, simply more ethno-chauvinist demagoguery, that, as in Turkey and Iran, was bent on the destruction of their massive stateless nation. One of the only identifying factors that these highly divergent ideologies of Kemalism, Khomenism and Ba'athism had in common was their policy of constant Kurdish repression. (Asia Times Online)
Ba'athist rejects Iraq's bomb claims Sep 30, 2009
DAMASCUS - From a dated cafe in downtown Damascus, Iraqi Ba'ath party member Nizar Samarai is defiant. "What happened on March 20, 2003, was a major assault on the Ba'ath party, 2003 was a hard year for us, but now, we have started to recover." ... A report by the Jamestown Foundation said members of the Iraqi Ba'ath party based in northeast Syria would end their support for the insurgency in Iraq in return for permission to participate in the political process. (Asia Times Online)
Maliki hangs tough on Syria Sep 10, 2009
Sources point to an August 11 article by Reuters (eight days before Black Wednesday), in which a United States State Department official was quoted as saying, "Syria already this year expelled Mohammad Yunis, a main figure in the outlawed [Iraqi] Ba'ath Party, who is wanted by the US-backed Iraqi government but has little military operational importance on the ground.". If anything, that proves that at least Yunis is no longer based in Syria. (Asia Times Online)
As US fades, Iran ups the ante in Iraq Aug 29, 2009
In a televised statement, an ex-member of dictator Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party confessed to organizing the Finance Ministry attack but did not mention anything about the Foreign Ministry bombing. Later, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki blamed an alliance between the Ba'ath Party and al-Qaeda ... These accusations are being leveled while tension is rising between Syria and Iraq over the handover of two ex-members of the ousted Ba'ath party who have alleged links to the attacks. (Asia Times Online)
Iraq burns its bridges with Syria Aug 27, 2009
Since then, however, a tug-of-war has erupted within Iraq between those who blame al-Qaeda and the outlawed Ba'ath Party and. those who blame Iran for the Black Wednesday attacks. (Asia Times Online)
PM vows to punish security members involved in attacks Aug 24, 2009
Maliki also accused remnants of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath party and al-Qaida militants of carrying out Wednesday's attacks ... It was linked to the former Ba'ath party. (Xinhuanet, China)
Iraq arrests mastermind of truck bombings Aug 24, 2009
Ali Kadhim Ibrahim, a high-ranking member of Saddam Hussien's Ba'ath party, confessed to planning and organizing Wednesday's attacks which claimed casualties of nearly 1,300 people, said spokesman of the Baghdad Operation Command Qassim Atta at a press conference aired by Iraqia ... A month ago, another Ba'ath party member Sattam Farhan phoned him from Syria and ordered him to carry out an attack to destabilize the security in Baghdad, Ibrahim said ... The terror group was linked to the former... (Xinhuanet, China)
The closing of theChristian womb Aug 11, 2009
The Syrian Christian Michel Aflaq founded the Ba'ath party which later took power in Syria and Iraq. The rise of secular Arab movements with strong Christian influence was a response to the Arab failure to prevent the founding of the State of Israel. (Asia Times Online)
AMERICA ABSCONDS Aug 8, 2009
Saturday, August 08, 2009 Last Update: 05:45 AM EDT. IRAQ FEELS ABANDONED BY BAM. (New York Post -- Opinions)
Courage versus power Jul 25, 2009
Since 1963, Syria has been in an open-ended state of emergency under the thumb of the Ba'ath Party. Neo-Marxists have taken the biggest risks and served the longest prison stints for relentlessly opposing the Assad dynasty's oppression. (Asia Times Online)
Viewpoints in Iraqi Kurdistan poll Jul 25, 2009
When I was a university student I was imprisoned twice by the Ba'ath Party [Saddam Hussein's ruling party] for being independent ... Twenty years ago there was just one political party, the Ba'ath Party, one TV channel, and two main streets in Duhok. (BBC News -- Africa)
Iraq on track toits true destiny Jul 17, 2009
Later, Iraqi nationalists and the Ba'ath Party of Saddam Hussein nationalized the IPC, provoking unrelenting British and American hostility. Saddam rewarded his Sunni allies in the Ba'ath Party by giving them lucrative positions in the state company, part of a process that produced a dangerous rift with the country's Shi'ite majority. (Asia Times Online)
Syrian secularism under fire Jul 15, 2009
For years, the three strongholds of contemporary Arab secularism have been Egypt, after the revolution of 1952; Iraq, after the army came to power in 1958; and Syria under Ba'ath Party rule since 1963. In Egypt, seculars received the upper hand under former president Gamal Abdul Nasser, especially when he cracked down on the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1950s, and drew a clear line between mosque and state, making any challenge of that new order a capital offense punishable by death. (Asia Times Online)
Iraq catches it from all sides Jul 14, 2009
Over the weekend, Maliki threw sand in the eyes of optimists by saying that he refused reconciliation with whom he called "murderers and criminals", in reference to members of the outlawed Ba'ath Party ... The strong words against the Ba'athists came after a short visit by US Vice President Joe Biden to Baghdad, where he lobbied with the prime minister to bring members of the Ba'ath Party back into government. (Asia Times Online)
One Reason We Fight in Afghanistan Jul 11, 2009
If anything, American foreign policy during the Iran-Iraq War concentrated chiefly upon getting oil tankers through the Gulf and onto the world market, with stronger disapproval of Iran (for mining the waters of the Gulf and threatening to block the Straits of Hormuz) than of Saddam Hussein's Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party regime in Baghdad. Bear in mind the fact that we'd had our own little dust-up with the mullahs of Iran from '79 through '81. (Townhall.com)
Iraq celebrates a victory of sorts Jul 1, 2009
So was April 7, the day the Ba'ath Party was formed in 1947. Iraqis now have a new public holiday - National Sovereignty Day, the withdrawal of United States troops from Iraqi towns and cities on June 30 and the formal handover of security duties to new Iraqi forces as per the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) approved by the Iraqi government in late 2008 between Iraq and the United States. (Asia Times Online)
State Guard takes over zone in Iraq May 29, 2009
The formal transfer of authority ceremony was held at the former Ba'ath Party headquarters, located on Forward Operating Base Union III in what many people still call the Green Zone. Maj. (Watertown Daily Times, WI)
World Watch: Syria Tries Rehabilitating Extremists May 29, 2009
The pan-Arab Ba'ath party, which has ruled Syria since 1963 crushed an extremist movement in the 1980s after it launched a string of deadly attacks across the country. But Syria, one of the most secular Arab countries, is now experiencing a dramatic religious resurgence that authorities cannot seem to get under control. (CBS News -- World)
Iraq soldier deaths trial resumes May 26, 2009
A trial has resumed in Baghdad of two former Ba'ath party officials accused of the murder of two British soldiers six years ago ... Their deaths were allegedly ordered by local Ba'ath party officials ... The British Army say the two soldiers took a wrong turning, were ambushed by local militia and taken to the local Ba'ath party headquarters where, it is alleged, the two accused ordered them to be shot. (BBC News -- Africa)
Focus on Mideast Christians May 11, 2009
For example, Syrian Michel Aflaq, the intellectual founder of the Ba'ath Party, was born in Damascus in 1910 to an Orthodox Christian family. Literary theorist and Palestinian activist Edward Said likewise has Christian roots. (CNN -- International)
Iraq on brink of third great mistake May 8, 2009
The two decisions that are now widely understood to have been disastrous mistakes are the dissolution of the Iraqi army and the decision to pursue harsh punitive actions against vast numbers of former Ba'ath party members beyond the leadership of Saddam's regime. Both decisions alienated Iraq's Sunni Arabs and opened the door for a strong al-Qaeda presence in Iraq. (Asia Times Online)
Syria reaches out to 'friend' Iraq Apr 28, 2009
Moreover, this is Syria, a country committed to Arab nationalism and still ruled by the Ba'ath Party, that is making overtures to occupied Iraq - adding further symbolism in the eyes of ordinary Iraqis ... Ties had been tepid since rival branches of the Ba'ath Party came to power in 1963. (Asia Times Online)
What Obama didn't see in Iraq Apr 9, 2009
He first accused the Ba'ath Party, only to realize that this was politically unwise, might trigger more violence, and could upset the relative tranquility he has been boasting of since mid-2008 ... Maliki originally claimed that the Ba'ath Party had carried out the attacks as a "gift" to mark his 62nd birthday ... "I support the integration of the Ba'athists into the political process," Allawi has said, signaling for the first time that working with the Ba'ath Party would be a benefit rather... (Asia Times Online)
Baghdad salesman saves baby in car bomb Apr 8, 2009
The government blamed supporters of Saddam Hussein in league with Al Qaeda and suggested the blasts were timed for yesterday's anniversary of the founding of his disbanded Ba'ath party. Tomorrow is also the sixth anniversary of the US capture of Baghdad, which ended Hussein's Sunni-dominated regime. (Boston Globe)
US sinks deeper into Sunni-Shi'ite struggle Apr 3, 2009
That is not actually illegal under present Iraqi law, but according to the Arabic-language daily al-Zaman, Maliki's Da'wa Party has called for the criminalization of the Ba'ath Party, which had once made membership in the Da'wa a capital offense. Further underlining the sectarian nature of the broader repression of Sunni commanders underway, Iraqi troops quietly seized Raad Ali, a Sunni commander in the western Baghdad neighborhood of Gazaliyah on March 24, as reported by Ned Parker and Qasar... (Asia Times Online)
Loyalty test Apr 1, 2009
The Centre for Imposing Law on Baghdad - set up under the "surge" of US troops in 2007 - says Mr Mashadani was running a new military wing of the old Ba'ath Party ... The Ba'ath Party is proscribed under the new Iraqi constitution ... They say many members of the old regime remain angry that they lost their status, their power and their income when the armed forces and the Ba'ath Party were disbanded in the early days of the occupation of Iraq - angry, and determined to get their power back. (BBC News -- Africa)
Iraq beefs up pipeline security Mar 18, 2009
Al-Najdi described the prospects for the near future: "I expect that al-Qaeda's operations will concentrate on the oil targets in Kuwait, Venezuela and the so-called Saudi Arabia in addition to the possibility of targeting Wall Street in one way or another. Al-Qaeda will continue, but with more concentration and specific accuracy, in preventing the American thieves from taking advantage of Iraqi oil, especially with the possibility of a withdrawal of part of the American forces. Iraqi insurgent... (Asia Times Online)
Maliki learns from his mistakes Mar 13, 2009
Last Friday, six men were arrested in Baaqouba, accused of belonging to the Ba'ath Party, which is banned under the 2005 constitution. Twenty-four hours later, two clerics were arrested from the Sunni community, and no charges were brought against them, while the Ministry of Interior denied knowledge of their arrest. (Asia Times Online)
Iraqi leader calls for reconciliation among factions Mar 7, 2009
The purge from the civil service of thousands of former members of Hussein's Ba'ath party and the US decision to abolish the Hussein-era Iraqi Army are widely believed to have fueled the Sunni insurgency that erupted in 2003. Sunni politicians welcomed Maliki's remarks as a good beginning toward reconciliation but said they wanted tangible steps - including a sweeping amnesty for insurgents and abolition of laws that ban thousands of Ba'athists from holding elected office and government jobs. (Boston Globe)
Saddam's ex-front man saves his neck Mar 4, 2009
A graduate of English from Baghdad University, Tarek Aziz worked as a journalist and joined the Ba'ath Party in 1957 ... They forget - purposely at times - that when the Americans stormed Baghdad in April 2003, they bulldozed the grave of Michel Aflaq - another Christian - who had been co-founder of the Ba'ath Party ... His friends describe him as a principled statesman, and a "struggler" in the ranks of the Ba'ath Party from the 1950s, when the party was officially banned in Iraq. (Asia Times Online)
Former president of Iran vows help in rebuilding Iraq Mar 3, 2009
Also sentenced to death were Mahmoud Faizi al-Hazaa, an intelligence official, and Aziz Saleh al-Numan, a top Ba'ath Party official in the Baghdad region. Three other Saddam officials received life sentences and two were acquitted, including Foreign Minster Tariq Aziz, who faces other charges and remains in custody. (Boston Globe)
Iraq's Parliament delays budget vote Mar 1, 2009
Two members of Hussein's former Ba'ath Party are accused of executing two British soldiers taken captive by a mob in southern Iraq in 2003. The exact trial date has not been set, said Aref al-Shaheen, the head of the Iraqi High Tribunal, which was set up to hear the cases against members of Hussein's regime. (Boston Globe)
Syria confident of US detente Feb 21, 2009
Last week, speaking at the Arab Writers Union Congress in Damascus, Haitham Satayhi, member of the Regional Command of the ruling Ba'ath Party, announced that there were instructions to improve relations between the security services and Syrian citizens ... Satayhi added that a special committee has been set up to study and prepare a political party law in Syria to allow for more political pluralism, as promised by the Ba'ath Party Congress of 2005. (Asia Times Online)
Iraq War was not so senseless after all Feb 17, 2009
Terrorists (other than Saddam's Ba'ath party thugs) were not running rampant in Iraq. They were all in Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia. (The Augusta Chronicle)
The new Fallujah: Up close and ugly Feb 14, 2009
Whatever the name, most of their members were former resistance fighters; many were also former members of Saddam Hussein's Ba'ath Party; and significant numbers were - and, of course, remain - both. There was an even deeper history to the path the Americans finally chose to tame the insurgency and the homegrown al-Qaeda-in-Iraq (AQI) groups that had spun off from it. (Asia Times Online)
