Baathists
Arab socialist party
Baathists are members or supporters of the Baath Party, a pan-Arab political movement founded in Syria in the 1940s advocating socialism, secularism, and Arab unity.
The term is most associated with the ruling parties of Saddam Hussein's Iraq and the Assad family's Syria: After the invasion, Baathists were purged from government positions.
The ideology blends Arab nationalism with authoritarian single-party rule.
Middle Eastern republic
- SyriaLevant country, capital Damascus
- Middle EastAsia-Africa-Europe junction zone
- LevantEastern Mediterranean coastal region
- TikritIraqi provincial capital
Baghdad · Damascus · Jordan · Lebanon · Yemen · Libya · Fertile Crescent · Mesopotamia
System of governance
- dictatorshipUnchecked single-ruler government
- Saddam HusseinIraqi authoritarian ruler, executed
- Bashar al-AssadDeposed Syrian president
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
surveillance · propaganda · secret police · patronage · nepotism · personality cult · censorship · martial law
Separation of faith, state
- socialismCommunal economic control
- nationalismDevotion to one's country
- anti-imperialismOpposition to foreign domination
- modernizationAdoption of current methods
single-party · authoritarian · centralization · statism · anti-Zionism · revolutionary · corporatism · dirigisme
Abrupt seizure of power
- 1963Mid-twentieth century date
- 1968Volatile year of upheaval
- foundingCreating an organization originally
- DamascusSyrian seat of government
Baghdad · split · dissolution · insurgency · underground · exile · remnants · revival
Capacity to withstand force
- dissidentsPolitical objectors
- KurdsStateless ethnic group
- human rightsInalienable personal freedoms
- persecutionSystematic mistreatment of groups
exile · refugees · sanctions · invasion · occupation · tribunal · war crimes · chemical weapons
Iraq
Middle Eastern republic
- SyriaLevant country, capital Damascus
- Middle EastAsia-Africa-Europe junction zone
- LevantEastern Mediterranean coastal region
Tikrit · Baghdad · Damascus · Jordan · Lebanon · Yemen · Libya · Fertile Crescent · Mesopotamia · Gulf War
regime
System of governance
- dictatorshipUnchecked single-ruler government
- Saddam HusseinIraqi authoritarian ruler, executed
- Bashar al-AssadDeposed Syrian president
repression · surveillance · propaganda · secret police · patronage · nepotism · personality cult · censorship · martial law · emergency rule
secularism
Separation of faith, state
- socialismCommunal economic control
- nationalismDevotion to one's country
- anti-imperialismOpposition to foreign domination
modernization · single-party · authoritarian · centralization · statism · anti-Zionism · revolutionary · corporatism · dirigisme · populism
coup
Abrupt seizure of power
- 1963Mid-twentieth century date
- 1968Volatile year of upheaval
- foundingCreating an organization originally
Damascus · Baghdad · split · dissolution · insurgency · underground · exile · remnants · revival · legacy
resistance
Capacity to withstand force
- dissidentsPolitical objectors
- KurdsStateless ethnic group
- human rightsInalienable personal freedoms
persecution · exile · refugees · sanctions · invasion · occupation · tribunal · war crimes · chemical weapons · mass graves
BaathistsIslamists
Advocates for faith-based rule
Muslim Brotherhood · theocrats · jihadists · monarchists · Hamas