"When the term Baath Party is mentioned in official Iraqi media today it is always preceded by the adjective ‘dissolved’, however Iraqi political writers and thinkers, and leaders within the party see matters differently. They claim that, “internally, Baathist party organizations are the strongest among all parties in the Iraqi political arena."
"They follow this by saying that, “the armed ‘factions’ are amongst the most prominent secular Iraqi resistance factions,” adding that “a party that is over 60 years old that governed Iraq for approximately 40 years cannot be dissolved by former US governor and presidential envoy to Iraq, Paul Bremer’s, stroke of a pen, neither can the Baath party be dissolved by the debaathification law, a party that alone once ruled Iraq."
"But the matter seems to be more complicated because of the disappearance of the party’s leadership and the party resorting to operating underground."
"Millions of Iraqis were affiliated with the Baath party, but today, simply being associated with it, formerly or presently, has become a charge and a crime under the debaathification law – some might perhaps be even liable to death."
"Meanwhile, others have been calling for the rehabilitation of the former ‘Baathists’, upholding that the decision to implement the debaathification policy to uproot the Baath will drive many to into the margins, isolating them, since in most cases Iraqis were forced to join the party, and that the majority was not implicated in illegal practices, which would therefore isolate those people now and make them sympathize with or support the Baath."
"But where is the Baath today? Is the party present as an organization, or has it simply become dispersed secret cells dreaming of the difficult ¬– if not impossible – return to power?"
"Iraqi researcher and writer Fadel al Rubaie said of the Baath party, “They have re-organized 80 percent of their ranks and have restored their organizational networks and that it [al Baath] is present everywhere in Iraq,” he expressed his belief that, “when the security problem subsides, the Baath party will be the strongest and the most organized in Iraq.”
"“The reason is very simple; the Baath party, over the span of the past 35 years, has destroyed the Iraqi national movement so that no political parties remained in the Iraqi arena, the most prominent [of the political parties affected] is the Iraqi Shia party and the Islamic parties that were formed abroad, while the Baath absorbed all the nationalistic expressions, leaving no room for any national organization whether loyal or disloyal.” He added, “The Islamic parties and movements have been re-organized, both the Sunni and the Shia, but they have become trapped in a narrow doctrinal framework."
"Al Rubaie indicated that if Iraqi politicians were able to reach a state of agreement, and the coalition forces were to withdraw that the Baath will be one of the major forces in the country, “which would require of it [the Baath party] a new method, the adoption of a new political discourse and the answers to a multitude of questions that generate from that direction,” he said. Al Rubaie believes that, “important ideological shifts have taken place in Baathist thought, at the forefront of which is abandoning the idea of an autocratic ruling leadership or party, as opposed to being part of a broad national framework that is composed of the Iraqi national spectrum, including leftists and secularists."
"According to Independent Iraqi political writer, Walid al Zubeidi, “there is a large percentage of Baathists who have rebuilt their organizations both inside- and outside- of Iraq and that most of the leaders have either been detained internally or have disappeared in one way or another, or have left Iraq."
"Regarding the financial backing of the party, al Murshidi said, “Our funding and that of Baathist resistance comes through generous Iraqis, we do not receive assistance from any non-Iraqi figures, governments, and organizations, or from outside of Iraq."
"But despite all that is being said about the ‘dissolved’ Baath party, it is evident that after the party fell from power and had its leader executed, along with other figures, in addition to the detention of the leadership and the tracking down of its cadres, the Baath party suffers problems and discord. The chances of its return to power appear nonexistent at the present time and the most Baathists can hope for is to be included in the political process as part of a political accord process that may or may not happen."
"They follow this by saying that, “the armed ‘factions’ are amongst the most prominent secular Iraqi resistance factions,” adding that “a party that is over 60 years old that governed Iraq for approximately 40 years cannot be dissolved by former US governor and presidential envoy to Iraq, Paul Bremer’s, stroke of a pen, neither can the Baath party be dissolved by the debaathification law, a party that alone once ruled Iraq."
"But the matter seems to be more complicated because of the disappearance of the party’s leadership and the party resorting to operating underground."
"Millions of Iraqis were affiliated with the Baath party, but today, simply being associated with it, formerly or presently, has become a charge and a crime under the debaathification law – some might perhaps be even liable to death."
"Meanwhile, others have been calling for the rehabilitation of the former ‘Baathists’, upholding that the decision to implement the debaathification policy to uproot the Baath will drive many to into the margins, isolating them, since in most cases Iraqis were forced to join the party, and that the majority was not implicated in illegal practices, which would therefore isolate those people now and make them sympathize with or support the Baath."
"But where is the Baath today? Is the party present as an organization, or has it simply become dispersed secret cells dreaming of the difficult ¬– if not impossible – return to power?"
"Iraqi researcher and writer Fadel al Rubaie said of the Baath party, “They have re-organized 80 percent of their ranks and have restored their organizational networks and that it [al Baath] is present everywhere in Iraq,” he expressed his belief that, “when the security problem subsides, the Baath party will be the strongest and the most organized in Iraq.”
"“The reason is very simple; the Baath party, over the span of the past 35 years, has destroyed the Iraqi national movement so that no political parties remained in the Iraqi arena, the most prominent [of the political parties affected] is the Iraqi Shia party and the Islamic parties that were formed abroad, while the Baath absorbed all the nationalistic expressions, leaving no room for any national organization whether loyal or disloyal.” He added, “The Islamic parties and movements have been re-organized, both the Sunni and the Shia, but they have become trapped in a narrow doctrinal framework."
"Al Rubaie indicated that if Iraqi politicians were able to reach a state of agreement, and the coalition forces were to withdraw that the Baath will be one of the major forces in the country, “which would require of it [the Baath party] a new method, the adoption of a new political discourse and the answers to a multitude of questions that generate from that direction,” he said. Al Rubaie believes that, “important ideological shifts have taken place in Baathist thought, at the forefront of which is abandoning the idea of an autocratic ruling leadership or party, as opposed to being part of a broad national framework that is composed of the Iraqi national spectrum, including leftists and secularists."
"According to Independent Iraqi political writer, Walid al Zubeidi, “there is a large percentage of Baathists who have rebuilt their organizations both inside- and outside- of Iraq and that most of the leaders have either been detained internally or have disappeared in one way or another, or have left Iraq."
However, the Baathists today are not a homogenous and cohesive unit as some would like to imagine. According to some sources, over two weeks ago, in the Syrian city of Homs to be exact [city also known as Hims], the first Baath party conference was held since the American invasion of Iraq in April 2003. The conference was promoted and organized by Mohammed Younis al Ahmed, the general director of the department of political guidance of the former Iraqi army during the first few years of the war. He was also a member of the general leadership of the armed forces, in addition to being a member of the Baath party’s military office – today; he is wanted by US authorities.
Bearing the title, ‘the Conference of the Martyr Saddam Hussein’, it was attended by 220 Baathist members, and in its duration, Izzat Ibrahim al Douri, [now former] general-secretary of the armed forces was dismissed to be replaced by al Ahmed.
"Regarding the financial backing of the party, al Murshidi said, “Our funding and that of Baathist resistance comes through generous Iraqis, we do not receive assistance from any non-Iraqi figures, governments, and organizations, or from outside of Iraq."
"But despite all that is being said about the ‘dissolved’ Baath party, it is evident that after the party fell from power and had its leader executed, along with other figures, in addition to the detention of the leadership and the tracking down of its cadres, the Baath party suffers problems and discord. The chances of its return to power appear nonexistent at the present time and the most Baathists can hope for is to be included in the political process as part of a political accord process that may or may not happen."