Ba’athism on the Road to Resurrection
Death, destruction, and sorrow. That is what Imperialism brings to Iraq and Syria. Children cry for mothers that will never come back after an American drone strike extinguishes their lives. Few ideologies are able to combat imperialism: nationalism with a lack of Arab unity is what led to the death of Saddam and the collapse of his regime; Conservative Monarchies fail as they are backed by Imperialists such as Saudi Arabia, which receives massive funding from NATO members. Yet there is one one ideology which disappeared after a Syrian coup in 1966 that could possibly save the people of Iraq and Syria such pain--the ideology of Ba’athism. While at first it might appear that allying with Russia and Iran is a viable option, it truly is not seeing as it leads to a massive dependence on the two nations for defense and trade. A closer look reveals how Ba’athism, of which Arab Socialism, Pan-Arabism, and Militarism are core tenets, can solve the problem of Imperialism by giving Arab countries a united front to keep out Imperialist forces. By using Ba’athism in Iraq and Syria, the Iraqis and Syrians can resist Imperialist forces that have constantly fought against their interests; then because the core tenets of Ba’athism are Arab Socialism, which would lead to self sufficiency; Pan-Arabism, which would lead to a united Arab State that would have enough resources to lose all foreign dependencies, and militarism that would deter anyone from invading. The result would be that the nations of Iraq and Syria would no longer have to rely on other nations, would be a unified Arab State that would have enough resources that Arab Socialism could properly function, and would be protected by militarism which would stop any nation from potentially invading.
How Iraq and Syria got to the place they are today with foreign nations seeking their exploitation through attempts to establish puppet governments and take resources can really only be explained through a history in Middle Eastern imperialism and the force of Ba’athism working against it. Imperialism as we know it today in Iraq and Syria really started with the partition of the Ottoman Empire which was done with the Treaty of Sèvres (1920) and the Treaty of Lausanne (1923) which were treaties that broke up the Ottoman Empire and gave the land to France and the United Kingdom. These treaties had no care for the ethnic and religious divides of the Middle East but rather based around what would help the countries involved which thusly created artificial nations with massive internal divides. Jump ahead twenty years to 1940 when the Arab Ba'ath Movement was founded by Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Din al-Bitar, which almost immediately began to support an anti-British rebels in the Anglo-Iraqi War which was fought in May of 1941. This would be the first time Ba’athist took part in military activities but it would not be the last. Six years later in 1947, the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party would be founded as a merger of the Arab Ba’ath Movement and the Arab Ba’ath, with the goals of bringing about Arab Socialism, uniting Arab nations, and pushing out Imperialists. In the years to come, Ba’athism would gain massive amounts of support, culminating in the February 1963 Ba'athist Iraqi coup which brought the Ba’athists into power in Iraq, as well as the 8th of March Syrian Revolution in 1963: this pushed the Ba’athists in to power in Syria. This Golden Age would not last long, as three years later, Neo-Ba’athists under Salah Jadid would overthrow the Syrian Government which was in part led by the founder of Ba’athism Michel Aflaq in a Coup. This would mark the death of Arab Socialism and Pan-Arabism with Neo-Ba’athists bastardizing the term and turning it into a force for Arab infighting. The removal of real Ba’athism would take Syria down a dark road leading to the rise of President Bashar al-Assad, son of the former President Hafez al-Assad, who took part in the 1966 Neo-Ba’athist Coup. His initial rule would push the Syrian people into a place of pain “When Bashar al-Assad rose to power in 2000 he promoted full-scale neoliberal reform without any welfare balances which led to an increase in poverty, unemployment, and income disparity” (Religious Literacy Project). This would only be the start for the neoliberal and dictatorial rule of al-Assad. In the year 2011, protesters rose up against Assad--many of them Islamists; yet the material conditions Assad created pushed them to rebel. After being struck down by soldiers from the Syrian Armed Forces, a Civil War began. This time of turmoil excited Western Imperialists ready to jump on any regime that would dare resist them, and even though Neo-Ba’athists bastardized what Ba’athism is, they still understood their roots of resisting Imperialists. Two years into the conflict the United States began to fund and arm Islamic groups friendly towards the US in a very similar circumstance to Saddam in Iraq. The goal of this intervention was to establish a regime friendly towards the US and the European Union like the modern Iraqi State even though the will of the people are against such case of action. The solution against NATO intervention in Syria is to ally with Iran and Russia so they may act as a counter weight against NATO. Syria is the closest ally of Iran and has been since 1980 with the Iran-Iraq War, and Syria and Russia have had ties since they were the Soviet Union in 1946 when they pressured the French to end their occupation over Syria. Bashar al-Assad is working on furthering relations and building closer ties with both nations so he can have their continued support in the Civil War where the end may finally be in sight. The ending of the civil war without a NATO puppet state explain the reasons in which Assad wanted these close relations. It would also act as a deterrent in future times as close ties with Russia would make any nation think twice before attacking Syria. The disadvantages of al-Assad’s solution is that both the Russian and Iranian governments that keep Assad alive will become a new Imperialist force that will push their own ideologies. “That could mean he would face efforts from Iran to solidify its regional reach by expanding Shiite influence in Syria” (New York Times). The Syrian people will also lose full sovereignty and become dependent on Russia and Iran for protection as the Civil War has weakened them massively. The people of Syria cannot survive like this, and cannot allow their own ideology to be changed by the forces of another state. If the people of Syria are to be truly free, they must get behind the force that shall liberate them from the shackles of Imperialists: the force of Ba’athism.
A key way to remove Imperialism from Syria and Iraq is to create a way of economic self sufficiency and remove the influence of foreign nations. The only way this can be brought about is through Arab Socialism. Arab Socialism is an ideology based around societal progression, anti-imperialism, fighting against exploitation and state ownership of public utilities, large industry, transports, and natural resources, as well as state control over foreign and domestic trade. Arab Socialism can return to the Middle East as force for liberation in the modern day just as it was when it was founded. “Arab Socialism emerged as a result of colonialism in the Middle East coupled with the corruption and underdevelopment characteristic of Arab societies at the beginning of the twentieth century” (Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa). These characteristics that created Arab Socialism are nearly the exact same as today: Iraq is a neocolonial puppet state, and Syria may fall to a similar fate. Both nations have massive amounts of corrupt government bureaucrats. Capitalism, while keeping self determination in Syria, is not possible as any Capitalist reforms shall only leave Syria open for economic influence by Western powers. If Syria is to stay independent, then a policy of self reliance is a necessity. To find a proper socialist movement which brought about self reliance while being under the threat of imperialism and capitalist influences, one must look outside the Middle East to the nation of Tanzania. “Nyerere’s Ujamma villagization scheme, in what became the hallmark of Tanzania’s commitment to self-reliance… this doctrine rejected heavy industrialization… in favor of collectively organized agricultural production in newly formed Ujamaa villages… improved education, medical care, and public utilities” (International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences). The reason behind Tanzania pushing for self sufficiency is based around the massive control the British Empire had. In order to become economically independent, they would have to solely rely on themselves. Policies similar to those in Tanzania are something which were and should now be strived for, as economic self sufficiency is the only true way to end economic Imperialism. Now Syria and Iraq cannot just refuse to industrialize in the modern world, as that would prevent true self sufficiency in the region as the material conditions from Africa differ from that of the Middle East. However, the idea still runs true that in order to bring on a better standard of living and to become self sufficient, collective ownership and centrally planned economies are the only route to go as that would block foreign involvement. Arab Socialism is the most stabilizing economic path that Iraq and Syria can head down as any other path opens the floodgates for sanctions and other forms of economic influencing done by other countries, which would prevent the ability for Syrians and Iraqis to be self sufficient.
Pan-Arabism is a term that is not used much nowadays, especially in America or even in Iraq and Syria for that matter. Yet this ideology is critical to the betterment of Iraq and Syria and could create a united front of Middle Eastern States that could resist Imperialist forces and have the resources to build Arab Socialism, as mentioned prior. Pan-Arabism is an ideology that believes in the unification of the Arab World into one single state in order to removal the artificial borders that currently exist in the Middle East because of Western intervention. Ba’athism firmly agrees with Pan-Arabism, as it can remove the tribalism that currently exists in the Middle East by creating a real Nation-State, as well as putting an end to Western Imperialism which was the same reason Pan-Arabism was originally created. “Arab attention in the ensuing two decades focused on obtaining political independence from European control…” (Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa, 2004). This is significant as it shows that Pan-Arabism was the main focus of those who believed in self determination from European powers and sought to be in complete control of their own destinies. Due to the large size of a united Arab State, they would have the resources, population, and influence to resist European intervention, as they would be a massive regional power if not a world power, thusly stopping any Western nation from influencing them economically or otherwise. For this reason, Pan-Arabism is so critically important to those who believe in politically independence for the Arab World, as there is no other real way to bring it about. Changing focus from the 1950’s and 60’s and the start of Pan-Arabism, we should now look at recent events that have seen a resurgence the ideal of Pan-Arabism, that being the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring was a movement across the Middle East in which the people of the many Middle Eastern countries called for the overthrow of their authoritarian and corrupt leaders. The corrupt leaders came from the generation that killed Pan-Arabist movements and focused on their own internal petty feuds, which in turn made it extremely easy for Western powers to play Middle Eastern nations and exploit the resources and the people of these countries. This new system of exploitation would create an apparatus in which western powers could decide the economic and political fate of nations. This corruption within the governments of these nations would initiate the Arab Spring. The Arab Spring could have been positive, if fought for by Pan-Arabist. To quote the Palestine Chronicle, “however, what must be made emphatically clear is that the global order stands or falls with the Pan-Arab revolution.” (The Palestine Chronicle, March 2, 2011). Yet what was seen was not a Pan-Arab revolution. Rather, western powers chose to join the rebels and being bankroll, hence creating puppet states which were used to uphold global order. This is exactly why Pan-Arabists have moved from the side of rebellion and now support the governments of the nations that resist Western involvement, such as Assad in Syria. However, hope in Pan-Arabism is necessary for the Arab world to become truly independent. Pan-Arab movements should join together with Arab Socialists to combine their movements into a greater goal of freeing the Arab World from Western Imperialism.
A core tenet of Ba’athism is the belief in militarism. While it might be true that militarism leads to authoritarian leadership and makes the lives of the average citizen worse, all in all, militarism is a necessary thing in order to ensure a nation becomes stable. militarism is not done properly in a number of nations around the globe, which has led to it gaining such a bad reputation and being considered an awful way to run a nation. That is not completely baseless as you can see in a nation like Pakistan which “... has the world’s fastest growing nuclear arsenal and the most terrorists per square mile.” (Globe & Mail, December 1, 2010). These conditions are not viable and will only lead to massive instability, as well as creating a possible scenario in which anti government terrorists could gain nuclear arms. Militarism done improperly only leads to situations in which the people suffer and instability reins. This is something that must combated with the support of a government of the people for stability to be best seen. In order for militarism to become a viable option, a movement for the benefit of the people and for the stability of the nation must be put to action. This something that many nations are working on and Ba’athist wish to see, especially in Syria, as it could see reunite the country after this long period of Civil War. Some call this modern revamping of militarism “Social Militarism” and is based around building up a nation domestically so it can be strong internationally. This becomes evidently clear as, “This ‘social’ militarism may be said to exist in nations which the military is the primary institution responsible for integrating diverse ethnic populations, for training workers, or for… other development projects” (International Encyclopedia of Social Sciences, 2008). This is something that both Iraqi and Syrian Ba’athists can implement into their goals, seeing as both nations are ethnically diverse and their goals as Socialists is to be of the interests of the Proletariat class. The implementation of these ideals could reinforce militarism within these nations to make them stable so Western influence will be nearly impossible. It will additionally make them a strong international force, hence leading to their ability to insure full independence as a nation. Overall, even though militarism can lead to massive instability, the suffering of citizens, and the massive rise of nuclear arms building, if militarism turns from the interest of the minority ruling class to the majority working class the military can bring countries together and bring on a wave of progress which is something that Iraq, Syria, and the Middle East as whole need to survive as independent groups rather than becoming or staying Western Puppets.
Ba’athism is a an ideology which can save Iraq and Syria through its core tenets of Arab Socialism, Pan-Arabism, and Militarism. These tenets will push for a self sufficient and militarily strong nation that can resist foreign intervention and influence. This could possibly bring an end to the Civil War in Syria and Iraq, as well as influence the removing of foreign troops from the region. The rise of Ba’athism would also lead to the states of the Arab World unifying, the rise of Socialism within the region which bring about the end of economic imperialism from Westerners, and the military taking on a more progressive role and assisting the build up of the nation. However, this positive change can be put out if Basher al-Assad and the Neo-Ba’athists stay in power: the people of Syria will continue to be oppressed, their labor exploited, and thousands more will die. In Iraq, American occupation will continue where Americans will deny the right to basic self determination and bring Islamist leaders into power. This will spark more conflict and strife with the region. In the case of Syria, that does not mean the rebels should be supported in any way, shape, or form. The return to true Ba’athism can only occur after the end of the Civil War, as fighting within the government plays right into the hands of the west and would allow those friendly to the US to gain power and destroy all hope for true freedom. If this solution does occur, the entire global order will be thrown upon its head. The rise of a Unified Socialist Arab State would end the monopoly on power that the West holds over the Middle East. It could additionally bring on the second wave of Socialist Movements around the world with a powerful ally in the form of this new Arab State. The consequences of this would be nearly unimaginable, as it could bring down the current balance of power which in turn would bring about massive instability in the West. The nations they exploit could finally release themselves from the chains that currently keep them bound to the West and bring upon their own independence both politically and economically. If the goals of Ba’athism are met, the world as we know it could very well come to an end and the prediction one can make is purely speculation, however, it should be clearly stated it would be massive.
Works Cited
St John, Ronald Bruce. "Pan-Arabism." Encyclopedia of the Modern Middle East and North Africa, edited by Philip Mattar, 2nd ed., vol. 3, Macmillan Reference USA, 2004, pp. 1799-1800. Global Issues in Context. Accessed 31 Mar. 2017.
"The Ba'ath Party in Syria." Religious Literacy Project. Web. 17 Feb. 2017.
"Arab Socialism." The Encyclopedia of Political Science.
