The Iraqi Arab Socialist Union (, ''Al-Ittiḥād Al-Ištirākī Al-ʿArabī Al-Iraqi'') was an Iraqi

political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...

based on the principles of

Nasserist Nasserism ( ) is an Arab nationalist and Arab socialist political ideology based on the thinking of Gamal Abdel Nasser, one of the two principal leaders of the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, and Egypt's second President. Spanning the domestic a ...

Arab socialism Arab socialism () is a political ideology based on the combination of pan-Arabism or Arab nationalism and socialism. The term "Arab socialism" was coined by Michel Aflaq, the principal founder of Ba'athism and the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Part ...

. It was a sister party to the

Arab Socialist Union The Arab Socialist Union may refer to: *Arab Socialist Union (Egypt), active 1962–78 *Arab Socialist Union (Iraq), active 1964–68 *Arab Socialist Union (Libya), active 1971−77 *Arab Socialist Union Party (Syria), founded in 1973 *Democratic ...

parties that formed in other

Arab countries The Arab world ( '), formally the Arab homeland ( '), also known as the Arab nation ( '), the Arabsphere, or the Arab states, comprises a large group of countries, mainly located in West Asia and North Africa. While the majority of people in ...

History

Iraq Iraq, officially the Republic of Iraq, is a country in West Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to Iraq–Saudi Arabia border, the south, Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq border, the east, the Persian Gulf and ...

after the overthrow of the Baathists, between the Ramadan and the July 1965 revolt of President Abdul Salam Arif, the ASU was the only officially authorized party, but it could not effectively compete with the traditionally influential parties and power groups. The launch of the Arab Socialist Union as the sole legal party in Iraq was announced on July 14, 1964, with a charter akin to that of the Arab Socialist Union in the

United Arab Republic The United Arab Republic (UAR; ) was a sovereign state in the Middle East from 1958 to 1971. It was initially a short-lived political union between Republic of Egypt (1953–1958), Egypt (including Occupation of the Gaza Strip by the United Ara ...

. Later the same day the

Arab Nationalist Movement The Arab Nationalist Movement (, ''Harakat al-Qawmiyyin al-Arab''), also known as the Movement of Arab Nationalists and the Harakiyyin, was a pan-Arab nationalist organization influential in much of the Arab world, particularly within the Pales ...

and a number of minor political organizations (the Democratic Socialist Unionists, the Arab Socialist Party and the Socialist Union Movement) merged into the Arab Socialist Union. The long term intent of the party was to promote the gradual economic, military and political union of Egypt and Iraq. The party Chair was the former secretary general of the Iraqi Baath Party,

Fuad al-Rikabi Fuad al-Rikabi (; 1932 – December 1971) was an Iraqi politician and the founder of the Iraqi Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. Al-Rikabi became the Secretary of Iraqi Regional Command of the Ba'ath Party in 1954 and held the ...

. The General Secretary and Information Minister was Abdul Karim Farhan. In September 1964 the Egyptian and Iraqi ASU were combined in a joint Executive Committee under Nasser's leadership. As of February 1965 the Iraqi Arab Socialist Union claimed around 70,000 members. After coup attempts by Prime Minister Nasser Arif Abd ar-Razzaq (September 1965, July 1966) and Abdul Karim Farhan (October 1965) and the failure of the Egyptian-Iraqi union plans the Iraqi ASU in October 1966 was put under the government. A group led by al-Rikabi split to form the Arab Socialist Movement (ASM). Arif was overthrown in July 1968 by a Baathist military coup, which immediately dissolved the IASU Preparatory Committee. Ar-Rikabi was imprisoned (where he died in 1971).

Gallery

File:Arif Abd ar-Razzaq.png, Arif Abd ar-Razzaq File:Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-F018012-0008, Bonn, Empfang für Informationsminister von Irak.jpg, Abd al-Karim Farhan (left) File:Rikabi.jpg,

Fuad Al-Rikabi Fuad al-Rikabi (; 1932 – December 1971) was an Iraqi politician and the founder of the Iraqi Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party. Al-Rikabi became the Secretary of Iraqi Regional Command of the Ba'ath Party in 1954 and held the ...

References

{{Authority control Arab nationalism in Iraq Arab Socialist Union Defunct socialist parties in Iraq Nasserist political parties Nationalist parties in Iraq Parties of one-party systems Political history of Iraq de:Arabische Sozialistische Union#ASU im Irak