or Baath Party
Arab political party that advocates formation of a single Arab socialist state.
It was founded in Damascus, Syria, by Michel Aflaq and Sal 0101; 1E25; al-D 012B; n al-B 012B; 1E6D; 0101; r in 1943 and in 1953 merged with the Syrian Socialist Party to form the Arab Socialist Ba 02BD; th Party. It espoused nonalignment and opposition to imperialism and colonialism. It gained control of Syria in 1963 after the failure of a short-lived union with Egypt and of Iraq in 1968 after a series of coups there; the Iraqi branch of the party was toppled as a result of the Second Persian Gulf War (2003). The party also has branches in other Middle Eastern countries. See also Pan-Arabism ; H 0101; fiz al-Assad ; Sadd 0101; m Hussein .