Iraq: From Kingdom To Islamic Socialism

King Faisal I, first sovereign ruler of Iraqi Kingdom

Iraq, like other countries in the region, was once a part of the Ottoman Empire. After the demise of the Ottoman Empire after 1918, the British made it a mandate. The British promised the Iraqi nationalists as well as aristocracy that independence would be granted. The British also supported narrowly based groups--such as the tribal shaykhs--over the growing, urban-based nationalist movement, and resorted to military force when British interests were threatened, as in the 1941 Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani coup. The Hashemite family promised to aid the british against the Ottomans if allowed indepdence. After many diplomatic trips, Emir Faisal ibn Hussain of the Hashemite Dynasty was able to secure the independence of Iraq. Iraq was made a Kingdom, with Faisal I as king, brother of the new ruler of neighboring Jordan, Abdallah, a member of the Hashemite family. Although the monarch was elected and proclaimed King by plebiscite in 1921, full independence was not achieved until 1932, when the British Mandate was officially terminated. Thus King Faisal I ushered in a period of stability, and modernity for Iraq. It was very much a constitutional monarchy modeled on the British model. Iraq built a modern army, and Baghdad like days of old when the Caliphate had his seat there, was bustling with economic activity as well as being a center for culture and the arts.

In 1927, discovery of huge oil fields near Karkuk brought many improvements to Iraq. The Iraqis granted oil rights to the Iraqi Petroleum Company -a British dominated, multinational firm. Iraq used oil to its advantage, which led to an increase in the government's revenues, as well as helping to boost the Iraqi economy. Iraq was soon able to build roads, public buildings with oil money. Iraq was on the road to prosperity. After King Faisal I passed away in 1933, his son Crwon Prince Ghazi I was proclaimed King of Iraq.

Also in 1936 Iraq experienced its first military coup d'etat--the first coup d'etat in the modern Arab world, led by General Bakr Sidqi. The Sidqi coup (29th of October, 1936) marked a major turning point in Iraqi history; it made a crucial breach in the constitution, and it opened the door to further military involvement in politics. Ghazi sanctioned Sulayman's government (Hikmat Sulayman was one of the agents of the coup along with General Bakr Sidqi) even though it had achieved power unconstitutionally, overthrowing Yasin al-Hashimi's government, killing Ja'afar al-Askari its Minister of Defense. Eventually, Sidqi's excesses alienated both his civilian and his military supporters, and he was murdered by a military group in August 1937 (http://home.achilles.net/~sal/iraq_history.html). In 1938 King Ghazi decided to attempt to realize his ambition of annexing Kuwait, part of his dream to lead the Fertile Crescent movement [King Ghazi announced from Qasr al-Zohour radio station that he was looking forward to the day when Syria, Palestine, and Kuwait were united to Iraq]. With a combination of propaganda (Qasr al-Zohour radio station), and military intimidation, he began to foment dissent in Kuwait, exploiting the aspirations of sections of the Kuwaiti middle class, which sought greater participation in government. But, at a critical moment, when Iraqi troops had massed near Kuwait's northern border, Ghazi's obsession with fast motor cars proved his undoing. The king drove his car into a lamppost and died instantly on the 3rd of April 1939.

The young King Faisal II, the last Hachemite ruler of civilized Iraq

King Ghazi I was succeeded by his three year old son, King Faisal II. Because of the King's young age, Iraq was placed under a regency led by Ghazi's first cousin, Amir Abd al Ilah. Faisal II did not assumed the throne until his 18th birthday, in 1953. Whereas Faisal and Ghazi had been strong Arab nationalists and had opposed the British-supported tribal shaykhs, Abd al Ilah and Nuri as-Said were Iraqi nationalists who relied on the tribal shaykhs as a counterforce against the growing urban nationalist movement. By the end of the 1930s, Pan-Arabism had become a powerful ideological force in the Iraqi military, especially among younger officers who hailed from the northern provinces and who had suffered economically from the partition of the Ottoman Empire. The British role in quelling the Palestine revolt of 1936 to 1939 further intensified anti-British sentiments in the military and led a group of disgruntled officers to form the Free Officers' Movement, which aimed at overthrowing the monarchy. During the earlier part of World War II, Iraq's government was strongly pro-British, however, the Iraqi nationalist, and ardent Anglophobe Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani succeeded Nuri as-Said as prime minister. The new prime minister sought close ties with Nazi Germany in hope to release Iraq from British domination. Rashid Ali proposed restrictions on British troops movements in Iraq. Abd al Ilah and Nuri as-Said both were proponents of close cooperation with Britain. They opposed Rashid Ali's policies and pressed him to resign. In response, the army surrounded The Royal palace in Baghdad on April 1,1941. The regent and his entourage escaped to Habbaniyah, from there to Basrah and thence to Amman in Transjordan. Rashid Ali and four generals dubbed the "Golden Square", led a military coup, on April 3, 1941, that ousted Nuri as-Said and the regent; and announced that the temporarily absent regent was deposed. Backed by the German embassy in Baghdad headed by Dr F. Grobba, which generously supplied money, books and films, the sentiments against the Jews were fuelled. There were demonstrations against the British and Jews by hoodlums and students who had taken to the streets. Shortly after seizing power in 1941, Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani appointed an ultranationalist civilian cabinet, which gave only conditional consent to British requests in April 1941 for troop landings in Iraq. The British quickly retaliated by landing forces at Basrah on April 19, justifying this second occupation of Iraq by citing Rashid Ali's violation of the Anglo-Iraqi Treaty of 1930. Many Iraqis regarded the move as an attempt to restore British rule. Iraqi troops were then concentrated around the British air base at Habbaniyah, west of Baghdad; and on May 2 the British commander there opened hostilities, lest the Iraqis should attack first. Having won the upper hand at Habbaniyah and been reinforced from Palestine, the British troops from the air base marched on Baghdad. The ensuing war between Britain and Iraq lasted less than a month, as the British steadily advanced, and on May 30th Rashid Ali Al-Gaylani and his government fled the country.(http://home.achilles.net/~sal/iraq_history.html)

The Regent's government made many political blunders, like supporting a British defense pack called the "Baghdad Pact" signed by Iran, Iraq, and Syria. Gamal Abdel Nasser's form of pan-arab nationalism was catching hold in the arab world, and mounting anti-British sentiment was building up in Iraq. Iraq was also anti-Nasserist, at a time when nasserism was the fashion. Nasser, a populist and pro-communist, called for the overthrow of the Monarchy by the Officer corps, following the Egyptian model. This led for the overthrow of the Monarchy on July 14th, 1958 by the 19th Brigade known as the "Free Officers" led by traitor and killer Brigadier Abdul-Karim Qassem and Colonel Abdul Salam Arif. Qassem's troops and supporters went on to storm the Royal Palace where they brutally killed the Regent, King Faisal II (23 years old), and all the royal family. These "republican" beasts then hanged the corpses by their feet outside the palace to serve as an example. This was to set a precedent where civility ended with the Monarchy. From this period on, despot after despot would be worse then the other. Nuri-as-Said, the former Prime Minister, lived for another day, but was caught trying to cross the border with his head covered, dressed as a woman. He was killed, and his body was dragged through the streets of Baghdad. The animal in charge of the government, the traitor Brig. Qassem, proclaimed Iraq a republic, the first move into chaos for the beautiful nation of Iraq. Later the same year, on two occasions, Aref attempted to assassinate the new Prime Minister, Qassem, but failed.
In 1959, the Mosul garrison, disillusioned with the new government, organized a revolt against Qassem. The revolt was ruthlessly suppressed, with the massacre of many hundreds of disaffected Arab nationalists and Ba'athists. Later in 1959, another assassination attempt against Qassem, this time organized by the Ba'ath Party, failed. Amongst the unsuccessful assassination squad was the young Saddam Hussein. Qassem alienated his supporters by not joining the United Arab Republic of Egypt, basically because he did not want to be over shadowed by Nasser. Qassem, who killed people like an animal, met a similar fate to the royals he had killed. In Feb. of 1963 he was killed during a coup d'etat by the Ba'ath Arab Socialist Party; under the leadership of Gen. Ahmed Hasan al-Bakr as prime minister and Col. Abdul Salam Arif as president. The Ba'ath Party believes in the ideology of socialism, but maintaining islam as the state religion. Nine months later, President Abdul Salam Mohammad Arif led a successful coup against the Ba'athists, ousting the Ba'ath government. In April 13, 1966 President Abdul Salam Arif dies in a mysterious helicopter crash. He was followed by his brother Gen. Abdul Rahman Arif. Following the Six Day War of 1967, the Ba'ath Party felt strong enough to take power. The Ba'athists overthrow Arif and regained power on 17th of July 1968 coup. Ahmed Hasan al-Bakr became president and chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC) following the Ba'athists return to power.

By far not the first, nor unfortunately the last of the butchers: the socialist barbarian in charge of Iraq today, Saddam Hussein.

The Iraqi Ba'ath Socialist Party then went on to create all the existing evils. These people were basically socialist of the old school, advocating state control of everything. The Ba'ath party went on to become a one party state, with no freedom of the press. At first people did not care because the oil money kept this new corrupt government in power, as well as helping it provide basic services and create an image of well being. In 1979, things went from bad to worse, but had not hit rock bottom yet. President Ahmed Hasan al-Bakr resigned because of supposed health problems, and nominated his vice-president, Saddam Hussein as succesor for president. The Ba'ath dominated parliament just went ahead with the decition. Saddam Hussein proved to be the worst tyrant in Iraq's turbulent history. Saddam embroiled Iraq in a costly war with Iran from 1982-1988 in which neither country gained territory, and which destroyed the Iraqi economy. As if that wasnt enough, like the crazy nutcase he is, he then declared war on Kuwait, an old Ottoman province of Iraq (known as Basrah). Thus the Gulf War began in 1991 where the U.S came to Kuwait's aid. Saddam's army was defeated and pushed back. This led to Iraq becoming an international pariah, a rogue state. This signalled the beginning of the end for Iraq. Iraq had definetely joined the ranks of the third world.

He ended with destroying his country's wealth and submerging the Iraqis in poverty, when at one time Baghdad was a center of culture and arts. By this time, wealthy Iraqi aristocrats had left the country to live in exile in London, and elsewhere. It became impossible to open a shop, or set up business with all the socialist red-tape. Everyone was suspected of being a spy, and could be arrested on the spot if thought to be against the president or the socialist government. Children are taught socialist slogans and to praise president Saddam Hussein, the oil industry has fallen to disrepair, the country, rich in oil, cant afford even basic services. It is true that the 1994 embargo had some effect, but it only affects the poorest Iraqis rather than government officials. Husseing is known for his ruthlesness, which rivals Stalin's during the Soviet Union. Saddam Hussein is a notorious monster, as he even had his son in law, who was in government killed, among other members of his family. Iraqis earn much less per capita than they did in 1958, at the time of the first coup. Iraq continues in its failed mix of Islamic statist model of socialism, which has been imitated (with some differences) by Syria and Libya under Col. Qaddafi. Iraq's government is self-serving and has done nothing for the people of Iraq, roads have fallen in disrepair, and much like North Korea, in that Iraq has persisted in building weapons of mass destruction, while Iraqis have nothing to eat. The idea of having strong weapons would be fine if Iraqis had enough to eat, enough jobs, and the conomy was booming, thus improving the people's standard of life. Saddam Hussein is also fond of nepotism, in putting his family members in government. His sons and family members act with impunity and are above the law, like his son who is sports minister, and drives a mercedez-benz latest model around Baghdad at full speed. The plan is of course, much like in Syria (where the Syrian Ba'ath Socialist Party is in power) when Bashar Al-Assad suceeded his octagenarian father. Thus in Iraq it has reached ridiculous proportions of worshipping a moronic leader who has ruined his country. The Iraqi (as well as the Syrian branch) Ba'ath Party's modus operandi is much like that of the Communist Party in the former U.S.S.R. The Party controls every aspect of life, from sponsoring state religion (to gain the following of the masses) to press censorship, and maintaining the hegemony of the party in society. Saddam Hussein is a true dictator and will die in power. Purges occur much like in the 1930's in the Soviet Union, and extra-judicial killings are common. Ironically enough, "Ba'ath" means "Renaissance", but in reality this "Renaissance" Party has plunged Iraq back in the dark ages. Saddam has assured his rule by setting up a praetorian Presidential Guard, who answers only to him, and has Gestapo powers. Everyone is under suspicion, even government officials. Sadly enough, change is most likely to come from outside than within, since Hussein has put the lid tight on party dissent. Iraqi's and minority Kurds dont have the power to overthrow a vast military-party machine. Thus only a credible force like the USA can overthrow the corrupt, self serving Iraqi regime. It should join forces with Iraqi exiles, from liberals to Monarchists. King Faisal II's grandson should assume the Iraqi throne and restore stability, credibility and civilization in Iraq as existed until 1958. Long Live the Iraqi Monarchy! God Save Iraq.

Article by:
Cristian Subiabre, with inferences from Iraq History and Culture