Assadist–Saddamist conflict

Assadist-Saddamist conflict
Part of Arab Cold War
Date 1979–2003 Location All over the Arab world, mainly in Iraq and Syria Result De facto Assadist victory Reconciliation process begins in 1997, process enhances with ascension of Bashar al-Assad United States invades Iraq and removes Saddamists from power in Iraq
Belligerents
Assadists Ba'ath Party (Syrian-dominated faction) Ba'ath Party – Syria Region Assadists in other Arab states Syria Iraq Hezbollah Iran Supported by: Soviet Union Iraqi Shia militias Russia PLO (factions) PFLP DFLP South Yemen	Saddamists Ba'ath Party (Iraqi-dominated faction) Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region Saddamists in other Arab states Ba'athist Iraq JRTN Supported by: United States (until 1991) Saudi Arabia (until 1991) Kuwait (until 1991) Sudan Lebanese Forces Muslim Brotherhood in Syria Syrian Opposition PLO (factions) Right Wing of Fatah Arab Liberation Front
Commanders and leaders
Hafez al-Assad Bashar al-Assad Maher al-Assad Hassan Turkmani Assef Shawkat	Saddam Hussein Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri Tariq Aziz Ali Hassan al-Majid Salah Al-Mukhtar Raghad Hussein

The Assadist-Saddamist conflict also known as the Ba'ath Party intraconflict refers to the conflict between the Assadist Syrian-led Ba'ath Party and its subgroups, and the Saddamist Iraqi-led Ba'ath Party and its subgroups.

History

The conflict emerged after the Ba'ath Party split into two factions, that of Syria and that of Iraq, following the 1966 Syrian coup d'état where Michel Aflaq and Salah al-Din al-Bitar were overthrown by Hafez al-Assad and Salah Jadid. In the 1970s, the two Ba'athist parties managed to reconcile, although the conflict erupted again as a result of the 1979 Ba'ath Party Purge in Iraq.

In 1980, when Saddam Hussein invaded Iran, leading to the Iran-Iraq war, the Syrian Ba'ath chose to ally with Iran, beginning a Syrian Baathist alliance with Shia Islamists, and an Iraqi Baathist alliance with the West and Sunni Islamists. Despite the Baath Party as a whole claiming to be secular, the conflict is partially rooted in sectarianism as the Iraqi Baath party was led by Sunnis, while the Syrian Baath party was led by Alawites. The Iraqi Baath Party supported the Muslim Brotherhood in their revolt against the Syrian Baath.

In 1990, Iraq invades Kuwait, subsequently after United Nations Security Council authorization, Syria joined the coalition that liberated Kuwait from Iraqi occupation in the 1991 Gulf War. Syria broke relations after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990 and joined other Arab states in sending military forces to the coalition that forced Iraq out of Kuwait. However by 1997, Syrian president Hafez al-Assad began reestablishing relations with Iraqi president Saddam Hussein. Hafez dies in 2000 and Iraq sends Vice President Taha Muhie-eldin Marouf to attend the state funeral. The ascendance of Bashar in 2000 boosted this process. Under Bashar, Syria ignored the sanctions against Iraq and assisted Iraq to illegally import oil.

In 2003, the United States invades Iraq and removes the Saddamists from power, thus leaving the Syrian Arab Republic as the only remaining Ba'athist state.