The Downfall of Abd al-Karim Qasim

Saddam Hussein was by no means the first the despot in Iraqi history. Baghdad’s military past features a long line of dictators, cues and counter cues. One of the bloodiest took place on the 8th of February 1963. It was a coup d’etat orchestrated by the Ba’ath party which included Saddam to talk with President Abd al-Karim Qasim.

In the fighting 5000 Iraqis were killed with Ba’ath’s numbering their own losses at 80. The motivation for over throwing Qasim was suspected to be pan-Arabists influence and state control over oil. It was carried out with the backing of American CIA and the British government and resulted in the house to house hunt for members of communist party. Ironically Qasim himself had come to Party five years earlier in another coop. on the 14th of July 1958 he and his addiras seized military control over the Iraqi capital over thrown the monarchy and executing several members of the royal family.

By 1963 he had withdrawn the country from the pro-western Baghdad pack, lifted the ban on the communist party and established relationships with the Soviet Union. Moves like seeing 98% of Iraqi land from the British Iraq petroleum company served to increase western hostility. The CIA was so clean to see and removed it joined forces with the small but militant Ba’ath’s party to plot Qasim’s downfall.

For shadowing Saddam Hussein’s own demise 43 years later, Qasim was executed after a show trial on the 9th of February 1963.


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