The Ba'th and the Creation of Modern Syria 0415734967, 9780415734967

Table of contents :
Cover
Half Title
Title
Copyright
Original Title
Original Copyright
Contents
Dedication
Preface
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction
2. The Birth of Ba'thist Ideology
3. The Alaouites
4. Coups and Politics 1947-58
5. Union with Egypt 1958-61
6. The Ba'th in Power
7. Ba'thist Doctrine
8. The Structure of the Ba'th
9. Internal Conflicts 1963-70
10. A Short Balance-Sheet
11. Hafiz al-Asad —
I
12. Hafiz al-Asad —
II
13. Conclusions
14. The Future
Appendix A: Chronology of the Ba'th in Iraq
Appendix B: Special Preface to the Constitution of the Party
Appendix C: Syria-Iran
Appendix D: The Syrian Ba'th Party
Reference List and Bibliography
Index

Citation preview

ROUTLEDGE LIBRARY EDITIONS: SYRIA

Volume 1

THE BATH AND THE CREATION OF MODERN SYRIA

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THE BATH AND THE CREATION OF MODERN SYRIA DAVID ROBERTS

D Routledge

8 ^ ^ Taylor &. Francis Group LONDON AND NEW YORK

First published in 1987 This edition first published in 2014 by Routledge Published 2015 by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 USA Routledge is an imprint o f the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 1987 David Roberts All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN: 978-0-415-83882-5 (Set) eISBN: 978-0-203-77927-9 (Set) ISBN: 978-0-415-73496-7 (Volume 1) eISBN: 978-1-315-81899-3 (Volume 1) Publisher’s Note The publisher has gone to great lengths to ensure the quality of this reprint but points out that some imperfections in the original copies may be apparent. Disclaimer The publisher has made every effort to trace copyright holders and would welcome correspondence from those they have been unable to trace.

THE BATH ANDTHE CREATION OFMODERN SYRIA DAVID ROBERTS

CROOM HELM London & Sydney

© 1987 David Roberts Groom Helm Ltd, Provident House, Burrell Row, Beckenham, Kent BR3 1AT Groom Helm Australia, 44-50 Waterloo Road, North Ryde, 2113, New South Wales British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data Roberts, David The Ba‘th and the Creation of Modern Syria 1. Ba'th — History I. Title 322.4' 2 '095691 JQ1825.S873B3 ISBN 0-7099-4227-3

Printed and bound in Great Britain by Mackays of Chatham Ltd, Kent

Contents Preface Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 1 2. The Birth of Ba'thist Ideology 7 3. The Alaouites 22 4. Coups and Politics 1947—58 29 5. Union with Egypt 1958-61 44 6. The Ba‘th in Power 51 7. Ba'thist Doctrine 62 8. The Structure of the Ba‘th 77 9. Internal Conflicts 1963-70 82 10. A Short Balance-Sheet 95 11. Hafiz al-Asad — I 101 12. Hafiz al-Asad — II 114 13. Conclusions 131 14. The Future 143 Appendix A: Chronology of the Ba‘th in Iraq 155 Appendix B: Special Preface to the Constitution of the Party 157 Appendix C: Syria-Iran 159 Appendix D: The Syrian Ba‘th Party 162 Reference List and Bibliography 167 Index 170

To Hazel, who did most of the work, with love.

Preface I began to study the Syrian Ba‘th when I first went to Damascus in 1963, to be Head of Chancery in the British Embassy there. It was just after the coup d'etat of 8 M arch 1963 which had brought the Ba‘th to office. Ever since then I have thought that a sort o f‘Prim er’ of the Ba‘th in Syria would be useful. This is not in the least to decry the wealth of existing literature on the subject by Syrians, other Arabs and foreigners. Ba'thists have theorised extensively and all sorts of learned outsiders have engaged in exegesis, for both of which as a newcomer I can only be grateful. Indeed, it is a tribute to the very depth of their studies that a more elementary work seems to be in order. Its most ardent partisans would hardly claim for Ba‘thism the virtue of simplicity; and the political importance of the subject has provoked so much scholar­ ship that the student is apt to be daunted by the labyrinth at the outset and to deny himself the pleasure of further research and study. I hope to offer him a sound introduction and thereby encourage him to go further. Moreover, much of the exegesis occurred during what turned out to be a transitional period in a Ba‘thist history. This is all too often the lot of historians. The 1973 Constitution of Syria, enacted after President Hafiz al-Asad had come to power at the end of 1970, has, by the consent of Ba4thists themselves, crystallised the ideology and the structure. History never stands still, but we have an unprece­ dented period of some sixteen years of continuity in Syrian and Ba‘thist history, which offers a chance to analyse and sum up. Accordingly, I have tried to describe the intellectual ancestry of the ideology and to present a light historical framework of events in Syria after the end of the Mandate. There is some discussion of Nasserism; and there are a few passing comments, not very con* troversial, on important actions and decisions. There is no attempt to analyse major developments in the Arab world. In brief, it is intended to be a simple kind of histoire evenementielle. W ithin that framework I have set an analysis of Ba‘thism, based on primary Ba‘thist documents for whose canonical authority there seems to be a strong evidence. I have followed this with an account of events since President Hafiz al-Asad came to power; and finally I have peered into the by no means clear future. There is no detailed study of the Ba‘th in Iraq and elsewhere, but there is a factual and chronological appendix on the Iraqi Ba‘th.

Preface I have included personal experiences of events which occurred when I was Head of Chancery in Damascus (1963-6), H M Ambassador in Damascus (1973-6) and H M Ambassador in Beirut (1981-3). In political studies this invites the dread accusation of being anecdotal. First, however, personal experience inevitably colours my views; and it is more honest and useful to present that experience such as it was. Secondly, I plead guilty to an obstinate belief that what we see and hear is no less valuable than a priori deductions from theory and the display of statistics. The reader must judge for himself. As a by-product of this method, however, there is one penalty Occasionally there is some evidence, mostly but not all verbal, which I have been unable to attribute to the source by name in the normal way. The Ba‘th Party is very secretive and liable to penalise anyone, member or non-member, who describes, or even discusses, party decisions, events or organisation. I have felt bound to respect con­ fidences and must ask the reader to bear with me. I have tried to state quite clearly when this has occurred; and at no point is evidence of this sort crucial to the argument. It merely supports arguments which have already been developed on other grounds. I have used my own translation of Arabic sources where no authoritative version is available and have in such cases preferred a literal rendering to an elegant paraphrase. Arabic names and expressions have been given in generally accepted transliteration, without any claim to authority in this disputed field. There is a special difficulty over various Arabic words which could be translated as ‘National’, compounded by the Ba‘thist tendency to describe nation-states as ‘Regions’, In all references to Ba‘thist leadership and organisation I have translated qawmi as ‘Pan-Arab’, i.e. transcending the bounds of nation-states, and qutri as ‘Regional’, i.e. restricted to one nation-state (usually Syria). Throughout this book I have expressed only personal views and not, unless by coincidence, views held officially by H er M ajesty’s Government now or in the past. Nor are those who have so kindly helped me responsible in the smallest degree for the opinions and errors in this book, which are entirely my own.

Acknowledgements I owe a deep debt of gratitude to Durham University, particularly the Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. Many people there have given us their kindness, hospitality, help, facilities and criticism; and I have learned in the most pleasant way possible what a privilege it is to be an Honorary Fellow of the Centre. They are too numerous to be thanked by name, but I must record that Peter Sluglett has read the whole work in draft and made detailed sug­ gestions. He is on no account to be held responsible for the final result. My warm thanks are due to the Research Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth office for their help and access to their resources. Albert Hourani has given me his time and valuable advice. Pro­ fessor Vatikiotis has also made some very valuable suggestions for which I am most grateful. Ronald Payne and Celia Haddon have patiently explained tc a beginner the mechanics of writing a book. Last, but by no means least, my wife has typed, corrected and done all the things which attend the production of a book, especially a first book.

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