With a coup led by al-Bakr and Saddam, the day the Baath Party overthrew the peaceful president, Abdul Rahman Aref, and took over the rule of Iraq.

On this day, July 17 of each year, Iraqis recall the fourth coup in the country, which is considered the last of the coups that changed the regime in Iraq, after the Arab Socialist Baath Party overthrew the regime of President Abdul Rahman Aref in 1968.

Many reasons paved the way for the Baath Party's coup, or revolution, as its supporters describe it, and the overthrow of President Abdul Rahman Aref, so that Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and his deputy Saddam Hussein took power, with the help of officers from outside the party, most notably Ibrahim al-Daoud and Abdul Razzaq al-Nayef.

Bhutani: Arif's peaceful personality paved the way for the success of the coup and the overthrow of his rule (Al-Jazeera)

Reasons for the coup

The head of the Policy-Making Center for International and Strategic Studies, Hossam Botani, in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net, details the most prominent factors of the coup, and says that it "came as a result of the instability that the Iraqi Republic was suffering from, as the army's coup against the monarchy in 1958 opened the way for a broad intervention by the institution." Military in Iraqi politics, so all those who took power were military, from the beginning of the establishment of the republic until 1979.

Another key factor that paved the way for the success of the coup and the overthrow of Abdul Rahman Aref’s rule is that Aref’s personality is peaceful and does not have a real conception of state administration, which paved the way for the Baath Party to launch the zero hour, implement the coup and take control of the government completely, says Botani.

Historians describe Abdul Rahman Aref as the meek and peaceful president (communication sites)

Black or white coup?

Despite the large number of military movements, revolutions and coups that Iraq witnessed during that period, what distinguishes the July 17 coup is that it took place without bloodshed, which prompted some researchers to call it the white coup.

In this regard, Botani says that “the personality of President Abd al-Rahman Aref, who is peaceful and loved by everyone, as well as the ease of controlling the Republican Palace without resistance contributed to the lack of bloodshed, in addition to the fact that the Baath leaders at that time were not inclined to violence, because they were aware that A bloody coup could cost the party a lot, unlike the second-line leaders, who tend to be violent."

Analysts described the era of al-Bakr as positive, characterized by a strong economy and a temporary renaissance (communication sites)

Achievements and wars

Iraqi political analyst Najm al-Qassab believes in his speech to Al-Jazeera Net that "the Baath Party ruled Iraq in two phases, the el-Bakr phase, which was a positive phase, a strong economy and strong foreign relations, which is a temporary renaissance, until the advent of Saddam Hussein in 1979."

Al-Qassab notes that, during the period 1968-1978, Iraq witnessed the achievement of many achievements and the rule of law, the employment of hundreds of thousands of workers and employees, and the inauguration of irrigation, agriculture and industry projects, noting that the Iraqi foreign relations were positive, and this records the state of institutions, but the situation deteriorated After 1979, with Saddam Hussein taking over power, and the beginning of the stage of the one-man regime.

The renaissance that Iraq witnessed during the era of al-Bakr during the seventies of the last century is considered the real Arab renaissance unparalleled, as described by researcher Hussam Botani, pointing out that this revival was not limited to construction only, but also included the country's economic, industrial, agricultural and educational capabilities.

Botani points out that that era witnessed a major transformation in the development of the path of the Iraqi state. The health, educational, industrial and military systems that were established in the seventies are still influential and ruling until today, pointing out that the March agreement to solve the Kurdish issue, nationalize Iraqi oil and eradicate illiteracy, are Notable achievements of the seventies of the last century.

Al-Qassab considered that Iraq achieved many achievements and the rule of law during the era of al-Bakr (Al-Jazeera)

The turning point

Al- Qassab considers that the period that followed the period of al-Bakr's rule was a bad start for Iraq, as Saddam Hussein came to begin his phase by removing the first line of the Baath Party and those who opposed President al-Bakr's abdication and Saddam's assumption of power, which led to the rise of the second line of the party and Iraq's entry into wars With Iran and the invasion of Kuwait and the siege imposed on the country after that (1990-2003).

Botani says that the most prominent repercussions that followed the 1968 coup were the one party’s uniqueness in power and the rule of one individual, and the exclusion of others, until 2003, which caused the political closure in Iraq, and the obstruction of the regime’s legitimacy inputs, except for the revolutionary situation that the party framed.

He added that neutralizing the army from politics is one of the highlights of the coup. Since then and to this day, the Iraqi army has become away from politics, which put an end to military coups, and established the foundations for this stage of the late President Saddam Hussein.

According to Botani, the July 17, 1968 coup represents the most prominent turning point in the history of the Iraqi state since its founding in the early twenties of the last century, for many reasons, including that the Baath was the first revolutionary party to take power during the republican era in Iraq.

previous coups

It is noteworthy that the July 17 coup was preceded by many coups and political moves. In 1936, Lieutenant-General Bakr Sidqi led the first military coup in Iraq. At that time, the Baghdadis heard explosions and intense overflights of aircraft. Sedqi asked King Ghazi to dismiss the government and assign Hikmat Suleiman to form a new ministry. The king responded to his request, to be the first coup in Iraq and the Arab world.

During 1958, Abd al-Karim Qassem and his friend Abd al-Salam Aref, along with a group of other officers, led a military coup that overthrew the monarchy and led to the killing of King Faisal II and his family, Crown Prince Abd al-Ilah bin Ali, Prime Minister Nuri al-Saeed and senior officials at the time, to begin the page of the bloody circulation of power in Iraq. .

Qassem's rule in 1963 was also subjected to a coup led by his partners in power, who killed him and appointed Abdul Salam Aref to the presidency of Iraq.

In 1966, Abd al-Salam Arif was killed in a mysterious way during the crash of his plane during an inspection visit to southern Iraq, and his brother Abd al-Rahman Arif took power after him, before the Baath party overthrew him and exiled him outside Iraq.