Baathists - strategic partners
Reader comment on item: President Bush Replies to My Iraq Critique

Submitted by Vijay (United Kingdom), Oct 28, 2006 at 13:14

Baathism, without the Saddamist apparat controlling it, could be a pivotal player in the political evolution of Iraq. Baaths , by and large, stood for a secular Iraq. Since the Baathists have been completely sidelined by the occupation forces, they have simply joined the Iraqi resistance. Baathists have been sworn enemies of Khomeini Iran, Islamists from Sunni and Shia ranks. They also stood for secularism - as far as it can be pushed in an arab country.

Hence it is time to bring in Baathists in the political process - if they can rid themselves of the henchmen of Saddam Hussein. The entire pre-2003 Baath leadership should be set aside in the new baath party.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened for relevance, substance, and tone, and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome, but comments are rejected if scurrilous, off-topic, vulgar, ad hominem, or otherwise viewed as inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the Guidelines for Comments. For informational purposes, we identify countries from which comments are sent.