Regional Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region

Arab Socialist Revolutionary Ba'ath Party	1960–1962/63
Socialist Lebanon	1965–1970
Arab Revolutionary Workers Party	1966–present
Democratic Socialist Arab Ba'ath Party	1970–present
Sudanese Ba'ath Party	2002–present

Algeria	pro-Iraq; pro-Syria;
Bahrain	pro-Iraq; pro-Syria;
Egypt	pro-Iraq; pro-Syria;
Iraq	pro-Iraq; pro-Syria;
Jordan	pro-Iraq; pro-Syria;
Kuwait	pro-Iraq;
Lebanon	pro-Iraq; pro-Syria;
Libya	pro-Iraq;
Mauritania	pro-Iraq; pro-Syria;
Palestine	pro-Iraq; pro-Syria;
Sudan	pro-Iraq; pro-Syria;
Syria	pro-Iraq; pro-Syria;
Tunisia	pro-Iraq; pro-Syria;
Yemen	pro-Iraq; pro-Syria;

Arab Ba'ath	1940–1947
Arab Ba'ath Movement	1940–1947
Ba'ath Party	1947–1966
Baath Party (pro-Iraqi)	1968–2003
Baath Party (pro-Syrian)	1966–present

The Regional Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region, officially the Regional Command of the Iraqi Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, was the highest decision-making organ of the Iraqi Regional Branch. Throughout its history, the Regional Command has normally had 19-21 members.^[1] When in power, the Directorate of Security Affairs was responsible for the security of the president and the senior members of the Regional Command.^[2]

The Iraqi Regional Branch was organized on the Marxist–Leninist model, with a small elite, the Regional Command, controlling the party from the top down. As in the Soviet Union, the party leadership became the government.^[3] While the Regional Command was the de facto highest legislative and executive organ of state and party, the Revolutionary Command Council was according to the "the supreme body of the state."^[4] In theory, the Regional Command was to be subordinate to the National Command.^[5]

Structure[]

Secretary of the Regional Command

Fuad al-Rikabi (1951–1959)
Talib Hussein ash-Shabibi (1959– May 1962)
Ali Salih al-Sadi (May 1962 – 25 September 1963)
Hamdi Abd al-Majid (25 September 1963 – 11 November 1963)
Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr (11 November 1963 – February 1964)
Saddam Hussein (February 1964 – 1966)
Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr (1966–1979)
Saddam Hussein (1979–2003 de facto, 2003–2006 de jure)
Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri (2007–2020)
Mohammed Younis al-Ahmed (2020–present)

Deputy Secretary of the Regional Command

Unknown (pre-1966)
Saddam Hussein (1966–1979)
Taha Yassin Ramadan (1979–1991)
Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri (1991–2007)
Unknown (2007–present)^{[citation needed]}

Members[]

Members of the 1st–12th Regional Commands
Name	Took office	Left office	Term(s)	Duration
Fuad al-Rikabi	December 1955	29 November 1959	2	364 days
	December 1955	1957	1	31 days
	December 1955	1957	1	31 days
	2 February 1960	May 1962	2	2 years, 88 days
	1957	July 1960	2	3 years, 182 days
	1957	29 November 1959	1	2 years, 332 days
	1957	29 November 1959	1	2 years, 332 days
Talib El-Shibib	1957	25 September 1963	4	6 years, 267 days
Talib El-Shibib	11 November 1963	February 1964	1	82 days
	1957	29 November 1959	1	2 years, 332 days
	11 November 1963	February 1964	1	82 days
	1957	29 November 1959	1	2 years, 332 days
	2 February 1960	11 November 1963	4	3 years, 282 days
Sa'dun Hammadi	2 February 1960	25 September 1963	1	3 years, 235 days
	June 1982	September 1991	1	9 years, 92 days
	1994	18 May 2001	1	7 years, 137 days
	2 February 1960	February 1964	5	3 years, 364 days
	2 February 1960	July 1960	1	150 days
	May 1962	11 November 1963	2	1 year, 194 days
	May 1962	11 November 1963	2	1 year, 194 days
	May 1962	11 November 1963	2	1 year, 194 days
	May 1962	11 November 1963	2	1 year, 194 days
	25 September 1963	11 November 1963	1	47 days
	25 September 1963	11 November 1963	1	47 days
Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr	11 November 1963	16 July 1979	5	15 years, 247 days
	11 November 1963	February 1964	1	82 days
	11 November 1963	February 1964	1	82 days
Salih Mahdi Ammash	11 November 1963	9 April 2003	1	82 days
	11 November 1963	February 1964	1	82 days
Tahir Yahya	11 November 1963	February 1964	1	82 days
	11 November 1963	February 1964	1	82 days
	11 November 1963	February 1964	1	82 days
Tariq Aziz	1 August 1965	9 April 2003	9	37 years, 251 days
	11 November 1963	February 1964	1	82 days
	11 November 1963	February 1964	1	82 days
	11 November 1963	1967	1	3 years, 51 days
	11 November 1963	February 1964	1	82 days
	11 November 1963	February 1964	1	82 days
Saddam Hussein	February 1964	9 April 2003	8	39 years, 67 days
	February 1964	October 1965	3	2 years, 242 days
	February 1964	October 1966	3	2 years, 242 days
	January 1974	16 July 1979	1	5 years, 196 days
Abdullah Sallum al-Samarra'i	February 1964	March 1970	3	6 years, 28 days
Abd al-Khaliq al-Samarra'i	February 1964	1973	3	8 years, 335 days
Hardan al-Tikriti	February 1964	October 1966	1	2 years, 242 days
	October 1966	1971	2	4 years, 92 days
	October 1966	January 1974	2	7 years, 92 days
Taha Yassin Ramadan	October 1966	9 April 2003	8	36 years, 190 days
Salah Omar al-Ali	October 1966	1970	2	3 years, 92 days
	October 1966	November 1968	1	2 years, 31 days
Izzat Ibrahim ad-Douri	November 1966	9 April 2003		36 years, 190 days
	November 1968	1971	2	2 years, 92 days
	November 1968	September 1969	1	335 days
	January 1974	June 1982	2	8 years, 151 days
	January 1974	16 July 1979	1	5 years, 196 days
	January 1974	16 July 1979	1	5 years, 196 days
	January 1974	January–March 1977	1	3 years, 59 days
	January 1974	March 1977	1	3 years, 59 days
	January 1974	16 July 1979	1	5 years, 196 days
	January 1974	16 July 1979	1	5 years, 196 days
	January 1974	16 July 1979	1	5 years, 196 days
	January 1974	September 1982	2	8 years, 151 days
	January 1974	September 1982	2	8 years, 151 days
	January 1974	June 1982	2	8 years, 151 days
	January 1974	June 1982	2	8 years, 151 days
	January 1974	June 1982	2	8 years, 151 days
Adnan Khairallah	January 1974	4 May 1989	3	15 years, 123 days
	January 1974	September 1991	3	17 years, 243 days
	January 1974	September 1991	3	17 years, 243 days
	January 1974	September 1991	3	17 years, 243 days
	June 1982	1994	2	11 years, 214 days
	June 1982	September 1991	1	9 years, 92 days
	June 1982	September 1991	1	9 years, 92 days
	June 1982	September 1991	1	9 years, 92 days
	June 1982	18 May 2001	3	18 years, 351 days
	June 1982	18 May 2001	3	18 years, 351 days
	June 1982	9 April 2003	4	20 years, 312 days
Ali Hassan al-Majid	June 1982	9 April 2003	4	20 years, 312 days
Latif Nusayyif Jasim	June 1982	September 1991	1	9 years, 92 days
Latif Nusayyif Jasim	1994	9 April 2003	2	9 years, 98 days
	September 1991	1994	1	2 years, 122 days
	September 1991	1994	1	2 years, 122 days
	September 1991	1994	1	2 years, 122 days
	September 1991	1994	1	2 years, 122 days
	September 1991	1994	1	2 years, 122 days
Muhammad Hamzi al-Zubaydi	September 1991	18 May 2001	2	9 years, 259 days
	September 1991	18 May 2001	2	9 years, 259 days
	September 1991	9 April 2003	3	11 years, 220 days
	1994	18 May 2001	1	7 years, 137 days
	1994	18 May 2001	1	7 years, 137 days
	1994	9 April 2003	1	7 years, 98 days
	1994	9 April 2003	2	7 years, 120 days
Aziz Saleh Nuhmah	1994	9 April 2003	2	7 years, 120 days
Qusay Hussein	18 May 2001	9 April 2003	1	1 year, 326 days
	18 May 2001	9 April 2003	1	1 year, 343 days
	18 May 2001	9 April 2003	1	1 year, 343 days
	18 May 2001	9 April 2003	1	1 year, 343 days
	18 May 2001	9 April 2003	1	1 year, 343 days
	18 May 2001	9 April 2003	1	1 year, 343 days

References[]

General
Regional Command membership was taken from this source:

Ghareeb & Dougherty 2004, pp. 389–392

Specific

^ Sassoon 2012, p. 36.
^ Sassoon 2012, p. 99.
^ Coughlin 2005, pp. 73–74.
^ Coughlin 2005, p. 74.
^ Ghareeb & Dougherty 2004, p. 192.

Bibliography[]

Coughlin, Con (2005). Saddam: His Rise and Fall. Harper Perennial. ISBN 0-06-050543-5.
Ghareeb, Edmund; Dougherty, Beth (2004). Historical dictionary of Iraq. Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-4330-1.
Tripp, Charles (2010). A History of Iraq. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-87823-4.
Sassoon, Joseph (2012). Saddam Hussein's Ba'th Party: Inside an Authoritarian Regime (1st ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-14915-0.

[FOOTNOTESassoon201236-1] Sassoon 2012, p. 36.

[FOOTNOTESassoon201299-2] Sassoon 2012, p. 99.

[FOOTNOTECoughlin200573–74-3] Coughlin 2005, pp. 73–74.

[FOOTNOTECoughlin200574-4] Coughlin 2005, p. 74.

[FOOTNOTEGhareebDougherty2004192-5] Ghareeb & Dougherty 2004, p. 192.

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