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{{Short description|President of Iraq from 1966 to 1968}}
⚫
{{Infobox Officeholder
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}
| name =Abdul Rahman Arif Aljumaily<br />عبد الرحمن محمد عارف الجميلي
⚫
{{Infobox officeholder
⚫
| image =Abdel-Rahman Aref.jpg
| imagesize =200px
| name = Abdul Rahman Arif
⚫
| image = Abdel-Rahman Aref.jpg
| imagesize =
| smallimage =
| smallimage =
| caption =
| caption = Arif in 1950
| office=[[List of presidents of Iraq|3rd]] [[President of Iraq]]
| office = 3rd [[President of Iraq]]
| term_start =16 April 1966
| term_start = 16 April 1966
| term_end =17 July 1968
| term_end = 17 July 1968
| primeminister =[[Abd ar-Rahman al-Bazzaz]]<br />[[Naji Talib]]<br />Himself<br />[[Tahir Yahya]]
| primeminister = [[Abd ar-Rahman al-Bazzaz]]<br />[[Naji Talib]]<br />Himself<br />[[Tahir Yahya]]
| predecessor =[[Abdul Salam Arif]]
| predecessor = [[Abdul Salam Arif]]
| successor =[[Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr]]
| successor = [[Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr]]
| order2 =[[List of Prime Ministers of Iraq|30th]] [[Prime Minister of Iraq]]
| order2 = [[Prime Minister of Iraq]]
| term_start2 =10 May 1967
| term_start2 = 10 May 1967
| term_end2 =10 July 1968
| term_end2 = 10 July 1967
| president2 =Himself
| president2 = Himself
| predecessor2 =[[Naji Talib]]
| predecessor2 = [[Naji Talib]]
| successor2 =[[Tahir Yahya]]
| successor2 = [[Tahir Yahya]]
| birth_date = 14 April 1916
| birth_date = 14 April 1916
| birth_place = [[Baghdad|Bagdad]], [[Ottoman Empire]]<br />{{small|(now [[Baghdad]], [[Iraq]])}}
| birth_place = [[Baghdad]], [[Baghdad Vilayet]], [[Ottoman Empire]]
| death_date = 24 August 2007 (aged 91)
| death_date = 24 August 2007 (aged 91)
| death_place =[[Amman]], [[Jordan]]
| death_place = [[Amman]], [[Jordan]]
| nationality =
| nationality =
| party =[[Arab Socialist Union (Iraq)|Arab Socialist Union]]
| party = [[Arab Socialist Union (Iraq)|Arab Socialist Union]]
| spouse =Faika Abdul-Mageed Faris Alanee
| spouse = Faika Abdul-Mageed Faris Alanee
| relations =
| relations = [[Abdul Salam Arif]] (brother)
| children = 5
| children = 5
| residence =
| residence =
| alma_mater =
| alma_mater =
| allegiance = {{flagicon image|Flag of Iraq (1963-1991).svg}} [[Iraqi Republic (1958–68)|Iraq]]
| allegiance = {{flag|Kingdom of Iraq}} (1939–1958)<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Iraq (1959–1963).svg}}{{flag icon|Iraq|1963}} [[Iraqi Republic (1958-1968)|Iraqi Republic]] (1958–1968)<br />
| branch = [[Iraqi Army]]
| branch = {{army|Iraq}}
| rank = [[General]]
| rank = [[Lieutenant general]]
| battles = [[14 July Revolution]]<br />[[Six-Day War]]
| battles = {{tree list}}
* [[Second World War]]
** [[Middle Eastern theatre of World War II|Middle Eastern theatre]]
*** [[Anglo-Iraqi War]]
* [[1948 Arab-Israeli War]]
* [[1958 Iraqi coup d'état]]
* [[First Iraqi-Kurdish War]]
* [[Six-Day War]]
{{tree list/end}}
| native_name_lang = ar
| native_name = {{nobold|عبد الرحمن عارف}}
| serviceyears = 1939–1968
}}
}}
'''Abdul Rahman Mohammed ʿArif al-Jumayli''' ({{langx|ar| عبد الرحمن محمد عارف الجميلي|ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿĀrif}}; 14 April 1916{{spaced ndash}}24 August 2007), better known as '''Abdul Rahman Arif''', was an Iraqi [[Officer (armed forces)|military officer]] and politician who served as the third [[president of Iraq]] from 16 April 1966 to 17 July 1968. He was the older brother of the second president of Iraq, [[Abdul Salam Arif]], whom he succeeded after his brother died in an [[Aviation accidents and incidents|airplane crash]] in 1966.

'''[[Hajj]] Abdul Rahman Mohammed Arif Aljumaily''' ([[Arabic language|Arabic]] عبد الرحمن محمد عارف الجميلي''{{transl|ar|DIN|`Abd al-Raḥmān `Ārif}}''; April 14, 1916{{spaced ndash}}August 24, 2007) was [[President of Iraq]], from April 16, 1966, to July 17, 1968.


==Biography==
==Biography==
[[File:Nasser, Aref, Atassi, Boumeiddin.jpg|thumb|left|From left to right, [[Houari Boumediene]] of Algeria, [[Nureddin al-Atassi]] of Syria, Abdul Rahman Aref of Iraq, [[Gamel Abdel Nasser]] of Egypt, and [[Ismail al-Azhari]] of Sudan in 1968]]
[[File:Nasser, Aref, Atassi, Boumeiddin.jpg|thumb|left|From left to right, [[Houari Boumediene]] of Algeria, [[Nureddin al-Atassi]] of Syria, Abdul Rahman Aref of Iraq, [[Gamel Abdel Nasser]] of Egypt, and [[Ismail al-Azhari]] of Sudan in 1968]]


He was a career soldier, and supported the [[14 July Revolution|military coup in 1958 that overthrew the monarchy]]. He also supported the [[Ramadan Revolution|coup]] that brought his brother, [[Abdul Salam Arif]], to power in 1963. His brother appointed him head of the army following the coup, and when the younger Arif died in an aircraft crash in April 1966, Prime Minister [[Abdul Rahman al-Bazzaz]] ("a Western-oriented lawyer" and the first civilian to head an Iraqi government since the 1958 revolution<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|page=94}}</ref>) became acting president; three days later, al-Bazzaz was chosen to become president, then al-Bazzaz immediately relinquished the presidency to Abdul Rahman Arif. It is speculated that the transfer of power possibly occurred because the [[Iraqi military]] thought that Abdul Salam should be succeeded by his weak and easier to manipulate brother instead. Arif was appointed president by the [[Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council]]. He continued his brother's policies, but with a more nationalistic profile.{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}}
Abdul Rahman Arif was a career soldier in the [[Iraqi Ground Forces|Iraqi Army]]. He supported the [[14 July Revolution|military coup in 1958 that overthrew the monarchy]], and also supported the [[Ramadan Revolution|coup]] that brought his brother, [[Abdul Salam Arif|Abdul Salam]], to power in 1963. His brother appointed him head of the army following the coup, and when the younger Arif died in an aircraft crash in April 1966, Prime Minister [[Abdul Rahman al-Bazzaz]] ("a Western-oriented lawyer" and the first civilian to head an Iraqi government since the 1958 revolution<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|page=94}}</ref>) became acting president. Three days later, al-Bazzaz was chosen to become president, but al-Bazzaz immediately relinquished the presidency to Abdul Rahman Arif. It is speculated that the transfer of power possibly occurred because the [[Iraqi military]] thought that Abdul Salam should be succeeded by his weak and easier to manipulate brother instead. Arif was appointed president by the [[Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council]]. He continued his brother's policies, but with a more nationalistic profile.{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}}


Like his brother Abdul Salam, he was an overt supporter of [[Egypt]]'s [[pan-Arabist]] president [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]]. Arif Abdul Razzak, another pro-Nasser Air Force Commander, attempted a coup d'état on Arif, and lightly bombed the Presidential Palace with Soviet MiG 17 jets, but the coup failed and he was arrested. It was his second failed coup attempt on the Arif government. President Arif went on TV to declare that on this occasion, Abdul Razzak would definitely be punished, only to then release him with a pardon.
Like his brother Abdul Salam, he was an overt supporter of [[Egypt]]'s [[pan-Arabist]] president [[Gamal Abdel Nasser]]. Arif Abdul Razzak, another pro-Nasser Air Force Commander, attempted a coup d'état on Arif, d lightly bombed the Presidential Palace with [[Union of Soviet Socialist Republics|Soviet]] [[MiG-17]] jets, but the coup failed and he was arrested. It was his second failed coup attempt on the Arif government. President Arif went on TV to declare that on this occasion, Abdul Razzak would definitely be punished, only to then release him with a pardon.


His presidency was widely believed to be slack and indecisive. However, there are historical clues that he was not corrupt. The ill-advised law that he passed in 1967 to absolve himself from paying income tax is probably an indication that he was not capable of getting wealth otherwise. Shortly after Arif came to power, the Iraqi military launched a major offensive against Kurdish rebels led by [[Mustafa Barzani]] in the [[First Iraqi–Kurdish War]], pitting 40,000 Iraqi troops against Barzani's 3,500-strong [[Peshmerga]]. Iranian and Israeli support contributed to a decisive Kurdish victory at the Battle of Mount Handren on May 11, where a battle plan devised by [[Israel Defense Force|IDF]] military officer Zuri Sagy resulted in the killing of 1,400-2,000 Iraqi troops and the capture of hundreds more. Regime hardliners were discredited by the debacle, and on June 29, Bazzaz announced a Twelve Point Plan for peace, which included "administrative decentralization" in Iraqi Kurdistan and "Kurdish representation in Parliament". Throughout July, Bazzaz began implementing the agreement by "approving a massive rehabilitation program, lifting the economic blockade, releasing hundreds of Kurdish prisoners, removing Arab tribes from former Kurdish lands, and passing a general amnesty law", but opposition within the military forced Arif to dismiss Bazzaz in favor of General [[Naji Talib]] on August 6.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|pages=96–98}}</ref> Regardless, American officials in the [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] administration welcomed Iraq's brief return to civilian rule under Bazzaz as well as Arif's thwarting of Razzak's second coup attempt on June 30.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|pages=97–98}}</ref> Arif was considered "one of the few forces of moderation" in Iraq, having previously established a friendship with U.S. ambassador Robert Strong and making a number of friendly gestures to the United States between April 1966 and January 1967.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|pages=98–99}}</ref> At Arif's request, President Johnson met five Iraqi generals and Iraqi ambassador Nasir Hani in Washington, D.C. on January 25, 1967, reiterating his "desire to build an ever closer relationship between [the] two governments."<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|page=99}}</ref> According to Johnson's [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Adviser]], [[Walt Rostow]], the [[U.S. National Security Council]] even contemplated welcoming Arif on a state visit to Washington, although this proposal was ultimately rejected due to concerns about the stability of Arif's government.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|page=99}}</ref> Prior to the outbreak of the [[Six-Day War]], Iraqi foreign minister [[Adnan Pachachi]] met with a number of U.S. officials to discuss the escalating Middle East crisis on June 1, including U.S. ambassador to the UN [[Arthur Goldberg]], [[Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs]] [[Eugene V. Rostow]], [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[Dean Rusk]], and President Johnson himself.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|pages=36, 100}}</ref> The political atmosphere engendered by the costly Arab defeat prompted Iraq to break relations with the U.S. on June 7, and ultimately ensured the collapse of Arif's relatively moderate government.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|pages=101–103, 111}}</ref>
His presidency was widely believed to be slack and indecisive. However, there are historical clues that he was not corrupt. The ill-advised law that he passed to absolve himself from paying income tax was probably an indication that he was not capable of getting wealth otherwise. Shortly after Arif came to power, the Iraqi military launched a major offensive against Kurdish rebels led by [[Mustafa Barzani]] in the [[First Iraqi–Kurdish War]], pitting 40,000 Iraqi troops against Barzani's 3,500-strong [[Peshmerga]]. Iranian and Israeli support contributed to a decisive Kurdish victory at the [[Battle of Mount Handrin|Battle of Mount Handren]] on 11 May 1966, where a battle plan devised by [[Israel Defense Force|IDF]] military officer Zuri Sagy resulted in the killing of 1,400-2,000 Iraqi troops and the capture of hundreds more. Regime hard-liners were discredited by the debacle, and on 29 June 1966, Bazzaz announced a Twelve Point Plan for peace, which included "administrative decentralisation" in Iraqi Kurdistan and "Kurdish representation in Parliament".


Throughout July 1966, Bazzaz began implementing the agreement by "approving a massive rehabilitation program, lifting the economic blockade, releasing hundreds of Kurdish prisoners, removing Arab tribes from former Kurdish lands, and passing a general amnesty law", but opposition within the military forced Arif to dismiss Bazzaz in favour of General [[Naji Talib]] on 6 August 1966.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|pages=96–98}}</ref> Regardless, American officials in the [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] administration welcomed Iraq's brief return to civilian rule under Bazzaz as well as Arif's thwarting of Razzak's second coup attempt on 30 June.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|pages=97–98}}</ref> Arif was considered "one of the few forces of moderation" in Iraq, having previously established a friendship with U.S. ambassador Robert Strong and making a number of friendly gestures to the United States between April 1966 and January 1967.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|pages=98–99}}</ref>
⚫
On July 17, 1968, while Arif was sleeping, his own assistants along with members of the [[Ba'ath Party]], [[Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr]], [[17 July Revolution|overthrew him in a bloodless coup]]. As Arif and his brother had done in the 1963 coup against Qasim, the coalition declared victory once they had captured the radio station and the ministry of defense. It was accomplished when the defense minister, [[Hardan Al-Tikriti]], phoned Arif informing him that he was no longer president. Arif was exiled to [[Turkey]].


At Arif's request, President Johnson met five Iraqi generals and Iraqi ambassador Nasir Hani in Washington, D.C., on 25 January 1967, reiterating his "desire to build an ever closer relationship between [the] two governments."<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|page=99}}</ref> According to Johnson's [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Adviser]], [[Walt Rostow]], the [[U.S. National Security Council]] even contemplated welcoming Arif on a state visit to Washington, although this proposal was ultimately rejected due to concerns about the stability of Arif's government.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|page=99}}</ref>
⚫
He returned to Iraq in 1979, when [[Saddam Hussein]] came to power, and largely stayed out of the public and political spotlight afterwards. He was allowed to leave the country once to undertake the [[Hajj]]. Arif left Iraq permanently after Hussein was removed from power by the U.S.-led invasion, and lived in [[Amman]], [[Jordan]] from 2004. He died in Amman on August 24, 2007,<ref>[http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=21857 "Iraq ex-president dies in Jordan"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070826192950/http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=21857 |date=2007-08-26 }}, Middle East Online, August 24, 2007, at age 91.</ref> being yet one of the few Iraqi leaders in modern times to die a natural death. He was married to Faika Abdul-Mageed Faris Alanee.

Prior to the outbreak of the [[Six-Day War]], Iraqi foreign minister [[Adnan Pachachi]] met with a number of U.S. officials to discuss the escalating Middle East crisis on 1 June, including U the S. ambassador to the UN [[Arthur Goldberg]], [[Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs]] [[Eugene V. Rostow]], [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[Dean Rusk]], and President Johnson himself.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|pages=36, 100}}</ref> The political atmosphere engendered by the costly Arab defeat prompted Iraq to break relations with the U.S. on 7 June, and ultimately ensured the collapse of Arif's relatively moderate government.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gibson|first=Bryan R.|title=Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|year=2015|isbn=978-1-137-48711-7|pages=101–103, 111}}</ref>

⚫
On 17 July 1968, while Arif was sleeping, his own assistants along with members of the [[Ba'ath Party]], [[Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr]], [[17 July Revolution|overthrew him in a bloodless coup]]. As Arif and his brother had done in the 1963 coup against Qasim, the coalition declared victory once they had captured the radio station and the Ministry of Defence. It was accomplished when the defence minister, [[Hardan Al-Tikriti]], phoned Arif informing him that he was no longer president. Arif was exiled to [[Turkey]].

⚫
Arif returned to Iraq in 1979 when [[Saddam Hussein]] came to power, and largely stayed out of the public and political spotlight afterwards. He was allowed to leave the country once to undertake the [[Hajj]]. Arif left Iraq permanently after Hussein was removed from power by the U.S.-led invasion, and lived in [[Amman]], [[Jordan]] from 2004. He died in Amman on 24 August 2007,<ref>[http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=21857 "Iraq ex-president dies in Jordan"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070826192950/http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=21857 |date=26 August 2007 }}, Middle East Online, 24 August 2007, at age 91.</ref> He was married to Faika Abdul-Mageed Faris Alanee.


==Quotes==
==Quotes==
* "The existence of Israel is an error which we must put right. This is our opportunity to wipe out the disgrace which is Israel which has been with us since 1948. Our goal is clear – to wipe Israel off the map", speaking on the Radio, 1 June 1967<ref>{{cite book| last = Scott-Baumann| first = Michael| title = Conflict in the Middle East: Israel and the Arabs| origyear = 1998| edition = Second| date = May 2007| series = Hodder 20th Century History| publisher = Hodder Education| location = London, United Kingdom| isbn = 978-0-340-92934-6| page = 25| chapter = The Causes of the Six-Day War of 1967| url = http://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/Title/9780340929346/Hodder_Twentieth_Century_History_Conflict_in_the_Middle_East_Israel_and_the_Arabs_2nd_Edition.htm| access-date = 2008-12-14| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110719123231/http://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/Title/9780340929346/Hodder_Twentieth_Century_History_Conflict_in_the_Middle_East_Israel_and_the_Arabs_2nd_Edition.htm| archive-date = 2011-07-19| url-status = dead}}</ref>
* "The existence of Israel is an error which we must put right. This is our opportunity to wipe out the disgrace which is Israel which has been with us since 1948. Our goal is clear – to wipe Israel off the map", speaking on the Radio, 1 June 1967<ref>{{cite book| last = Scott-Baumann| first = Michael| title = Conflict in the Middle East: Israel and the Arabs| orig-year = 1998| edition = Second| date = May 2007| series = Hodder 20th Century History| publisher = Hodder Education| location = London, United Kingdom| isbn = 978-0-340-92934-6| page = 25| chapter = The Causes of the Six-Day War of 1967| url = http://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/Title/9780340929346/Hodder_Twentieth_Century_History_Conflict_in_the_Middle_East_Israel_and_the_Arabs_2nd_Edition.htm| access-date = 14 December 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110719123231/http://www.hoddereducation.co.uk/Title/9780340929346/Hodder_Twentieth_Century_History_Conflict_in_the_Middle_East_Israel_and_the_Arabs_2nd_Edition.htm| archive-date = 19 July 2011| url-status = dead}}</ref>
* "I hope there will be stability and security in all parts of Iraq and neighboring Arab countries", he said. "I hope there will be national unity in Iraq by forgetting the past and looking for the future."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/25/world/middleeast/25aref.html?ref=world | work=The New York Times | title=Abdel-Rahman Aref, 91, Former Iraqi President, Is Dead | date=August 25, 2007 | accessdate=March 29, 2010}}</ref>
* "I hope there will be stability and security in all parts of Iraq and neighbouring Arab countries", he said. "I hope there will be national unity in Iraq by forgetting the past and looking for the future."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/25/world/middleeast/25aref.html?ref=world | work=The New York Times | title=Abdel-Rahman Aref, 91, Former Iraqi President, Is Dead | date=25 August 2007 | access-date=29 March 2010}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
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{{wikiquote|Abdul Rahman Arif}}
{{wikiquote|Abdul Rahman Arif}}
*[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/25/world/middleeast/25aref.html?ref=world Abdel-Rahman Aref, 91, Former Iraqi President, Is Dead]
*[https://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/25/world/middleeast/25aref.html?ref=world Abdel-Rahman Aref, 91, Former Iraqi President, Is Dead]

*[http://zennobia.blogspot.com/2007/09/remembering-aref-documentary-film.html Remembering Aref]
*{{YouTube|MZpJ75HPzaE|Remembering Aref - Documentary Film Trailer}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-start}}
{{s-off}}
{{s-off}}
{{succession box|before=[[Abd ar-Rahman al-Bazzaz]]|title=[[President of Iraq]]|years=April 16, 1966 &ndash; July 17, 1968|after=[[Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr]]}}
{{succession box|before=[[Abd ar-Rahman al-Bazzaz]]|title=[[President of Iraq]]|years=16 April 1966 &ndash; 17 July 1968|after=[[Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr]]}}
{{succession box|before=[[Naji Talib]]|title=[[Prime Minister of Iraq]]|years=1967|after=[[Tahir Yahya]]}}
{{succession box|before=[[Naji Talib]]|title=[[Prime Minister of Iraq]]|years=1967|after=[[Tahir Yahya]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{s-end}}
{{IraqiPres}}
{{IraqiPres}}
{{IraqiPMs}}
{{IraqiPMs}}
{{Arab nationalism}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}


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[[Category:Leaders ousted by a coup]]
[[Category:Leaders ousted by a coup]]
[[Category:Nasserists]]
[[Category:Nasserists]]
[[Category:People from Baghdad]]
[[Category:Politicians from Baghdad]]
[[Category:Presidents of Iraq]]
[[Category:Presidents of Iraq]]
[[Category:Prime Ministers of Iraq]]
[[Category:Prime ministers of Iraq]]
[[Category:Muslim socialists]]
[[Category:Iraqi Military Academy alumni]]

Latest revision as of 14:19, 29 December 2024

Abdul Rahman Arif
عبد الرحمن عارف
Arif in 1950
3rd President of Iraq
In office
16 April 1966 – 17 July 1968
Prime MinisterAbd ar-Rahman al-Bazzaz
Naji Talib
Himself
Tahir Yahya
Preceded byAbdul Salam Arif
Succeeded byAhmed Hassan al-Bakr
Prime Minister of Iraq
In office
10 May 1967 – 10 July 1967
PresidentHimself
Preceded byNaji Talib
Succeeded byTahir Yahya
Personal details
Born14 April 1916
Baghdad, Baghdad Vilayet, Ottoman Empire
Died24 August 2007 (aged 91)
Amman, Jordan
Political partyArab Socialist Union
SpouseFaika Abdul-Mageed Faris Alanee
RelationsAbdul Salam Arif (brother)
Children5
Military service
Allegiance Kingdom of Iraq (1939–1958)
Iraq Iraqi Republic (1958–1968)
Branch/service Iraqi Ground Forces
Years of service1939–1968
RankLieutenant general
Battles/wars

Abdul Rahman Mohammed ʿArif al-Jumayli (Arabic: عبد الرحمن محمد عارف الجميلي, romanized: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ʿĀrif; 14 April 1916 – 24 August 2007), better known as Abdul Rahman Arif, was an Iraqi military officer and politician who served as the third president of Iraq from 16 April 1966 to 17 July 1968. He was the older brother of the second president of Iraq, Abdul Salam Arif, whom he succeeded after his brother died in an airplane crash in 1966.

Biography

[edit]
From left to right, Houari Boumediene of Algeria, Nureddin al-Atassi of Syria, Abdul Rahman Aref of Iraq, Gamel Abdel Nasser of Egypt, and Ismail al-Azhari of Sudan in 1968

Abdul Rahman Arif was a career soldier in the Iraqi Army. He supported the military coup in 1958 that overthrew the monarchy, and also supported the coup that brought his brother, Abdul Salam, to power in 1963. His brother appointed him head of the army following the coup, and when the younger Arif died in an aircraft crash in April 1966, Prime Minister Abdul Rahman al-Bazzaz ("a Western-oriented lawyer" and the first civilian to head an Iraqi government since the 1958 revolution[1]) became acting president. Three days later, al-Bazzaz was chosen to become president, but al-Bazzaz immediately relinquished the presidency to Abdul Rahman Arif. It is speculated that the transfer of power possibly occurred because the Iraqi military thought that Abdul Salam should be succeeded by his weak and easier to manipulate brother instead. Arif was appointed president by the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council. He continued his brother's policies, but with a more nationalistic profile.[citation needed]

Like his brother Abdul Salam, he was an overt supporter of Egypt's pan-Arabist president Gamal Abdel Nasser. Arif Abdul Razzak, another pro-Nasser Air Force Commander, attempted a coup d'état on Arif, d lightly bombed the Presidential Palace with Soviet MiG-17 jets, but the coup failed and he was arrested. It was his second failed coup attempt on the Arif government. President Arif went on TV to declare that on this occasion, Abdul Razzak would definitely be punished, only to then release him with a pardon.

His presidency was widely believed to be slack and indecisive. However, there are historical clues that he was not corrupt. The ill-advised law that he passed to absolve himself from paying income tax was probably an indication that he was not capable of getting wealth otherwise. Shortly after Arif came to power, the Iraqi military launched a major offensive against Kurdish rebels led by Mustafa Barzani in the First Iraqi–Kurdish War, pitting 40,000 Iraqi troops against Barzani's 3,500-strong Peshmerga. Iranian and Israeli support contributed to a decisive Kurdish victory at the Battle of Mount Handren on 11 May 1966, where a battle plan devised by IDF military officer Zuri Sagy resulted in the killing of 1,400-2,000 Iraqi troops and the capture of hundreds more. Regime hard-liners were discredited by the debacle, and on 29 June 1966, Bazzaz announced a Twelve Point Plan for peace, which included "administrative decentralisation" in Iraqi Kurdistan and "Kurdish representation in Parliament".

Throughout July 1966, Bazzaz began implementing the agreement by "approving a massive rehabilitation program, lifting the economic blockade, releasing hundreds of Kurdish prisoners, removing Arab tribes from former Kurdish lands, and passing a general amnesty law", but opposition within the military forced Arif to dismiss Bazzaz in favour of General Naji Talib on 6 August 1966.[2] Regardless, American officials in the Lyndon B. Johnson administration welcomed Iraq's brief return to civilian rule under Bazzaz as well as Arif's thwarting of Razzak's second coup attempt on 30 June.[3] Arif was considered "one of the few forces of moderation" in Iraq, having previously established a friendship with U.S. ambassador Robert Strong and making a number of friendly gestures to the United States between April 1966 and January 1967.[4]

At Arif's request, President Johnson met five Iraqi generals and Iraqi ambassador Nasir Hani in Washington, D.C., on 25 January 1967, reiterating his "desire to build an ever closer relationship between [the] two governments."[5] According to Johnson's National Security Adviser, Walt Rostow, the U.S. National Security Council even contemplated welcoming Arif on a state visit to Washington, although this proposal was ultimately rejected due to concerns about the stability of Arif's government.[6]

Prior to the outbreak of the Six-Day War, Iraqi foreign minister Adnan Pachachi met with a number of U.S. officials to discuss the escalating Middle East crisis on 1 June, including U the S. ambassador to the UN Arthur Goldberg, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Eugene V. Rostow, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, and President Johnson himself.[7] The political atmosphere engendered by the costly Arab defeat prompted Iraq to break relations with the U.S. on 7 June, and ultimately ensured the collapse of Arif's relatively moderate government.[8]

On 17 July 1968, while Arif was sleeping, his own assistants along with members of the Ba'ath Party, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, overthrew him in a bloodless coup. As Arif and his brother had done in the 1963 coup against Qasim, the coalition declared victory once they had captured the radio station and the Ministry of Defence. It was accomplished when the defence minister, Hardan Al-Tikriti, phoned Arif informing him that he was no longer president. Arif was exiled to Turkey.

Arif returned to Iraq in 1979 when Saddam Hussein came to power, and largely stayed out of the public and political spotlight afterwards. He was allowed to leave the country once to undertake the Hajj. Arif left Iraq permanently after Hussein was removed from power by the U.S.-led invasion, and lived in Amman, Jordan from 2004. He died in Amman on 24 August 2007,[9] He was married to Faika Abdul-Mageed Faris Alanee.

Quotes

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  • "The existence of Israel is an error which we must put right. This is our opportunity to wipe out the disgrace which is Israel which has been with us since 1948. Our goal is clear – to wipe Israel off the map", speaking on the Radio, 1 June 1967[10]
  • "I hope there will be stability and security in all parts of Iraq and neighbouring Arab countries", he said. "I hope there will be national unity in Iraq by forgetting the past and looking for the future."[11]

References

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  1. ^ Gibson, Bryan R. (2015). Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 94. ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
  2. ^ Gibson, Bryan R. (2015). Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 96–98. ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
  3. ^ Gibson, Bryan R. (2015). Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 97–98. ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
  4. ^ Gibson, Bryan R. (2015). Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 98–99. ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
  5. ^ Gibson, Bryan R. (2015). Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
  6. ^ Gibson, Bryan R. (2015). Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 99. ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
  7. ^ Gibson, Bryan R. (2015). Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 36, 100. ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
  8. ^ Gibson, Bryan R. (2015). Sold Out? US Foreign Policy, Iraq, the Kurds, and the Cold War. Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 101–103, 111. ISBN 978-1-137-48711-7.
  9. ^ "Iraq ex-president dies in Jordan" Archived 26 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Middle East Online, 24 August 2007, at age 91.
  10. ^ Scott-Baumann, Michael (May 2007) [1998]. "The Causes of the Six-Day War of 1967". Conflict in the Middle East: Israel and the Arabs. Hodder 20th Century History (Second ed.). London, United Kingdom: Hodder Education. p. 25. ISBN 978-0-340-92934-6. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 14 December 2008.
  11. ^ "Abdel-Rahman Aref, 91, Former Iraqi President, Is Dead". The New York Times. 25 August 2007. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
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Political offices
Preceded by President of Iraq
16 April 1966 – 17 July 1968 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Iraq
1967 		Succeeded by
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