Ba'athism and the history of the Left in Iraq

Violence and politics

 March 1, 2008  |  The Platypus Affiliated Society

SINCE THE 1960s the saturation of brutality and violence in Iraq has caused considerable confusion among Leftists in regards to both its political meaning and causes. One cannot fully understand the character of Saddam Hussein’s Arab Ba’ath Socialist Party without taking into account that it achieved political power by systematically killing off the Iraqi Communist Party (ICP) and quelling other political dissent with acts of extreme cruelty. The eight year battle of attrition instigated by Hussein, known as the Iran-Iraq War, caused over half a million Iraqi deaths, and the ethnic cleansing campaigns directed against the Kurds resulted in countless more. [Read More]
ANSWER  Anti-Americanism  Anti-war  Ba'athism  Hadi Saleh  Hanna Batatu  History of the Left  Ian Morrison  Ideology  Imperialism  Iraq  Iraqi Communist Party  Kanan Makiya  Vladimir Lenin  Nationalism  Politics  Racism  Ramsey Clark  Reactionary  Regression  Republic of Fear  Saddam Hussein  Unions  US Labor Against the War  Violence  War