The future of ba’thist Iraq: Power structure, challenges, and prospects

This chapter examines the essential features of the core institutions of the Iraqi Ba’thist state, the internal and structural challenges to the current regime, and the prospects for political change. Decisions required majority voting; representatives were elected in a more-or-less democratic fashion; party meeting were often the scene of lively, occasionally chaotic debates; and, significant for Iraq, party members were never arrested or executed for their political leanings. Iraq’s internal security apparatus consists primarily of four separate intelligence and surveillance organizations. General Security is, alongside military intelligence, the oldest internal security organization in Iraq, with ties dating back to the monarchy. Enticement complements fear as a chief instrument of securing obedience. Saddam makes sure that his officer corps is rewarded for loyalty. The Guard was born as a brigade under Abd al-Salam Arif in 1963. Ali Hasan played a key role in the negotiations with Kuwait that preceded the August 1990 invasion.