Transformations in the Relationship between Abd al-Karim Qasim and Abd al-Salam Arif: Political Alliances and Republican Conflicts

Abstract

(1958-1953)The deterioration of the country’s conditions during the reign of King Faisal II generated a state of popular anger and resentment toward the government, particularly after the spread of foreign interference. These internal circumstances paved the way for the emergence of several organizations led by a group of officers who were discontented with the monarchy, among them Abd al-Karim Qasim and Abd al-Salam Arif. The officers’ organizations eventually united, resulting in the formation of a new organization modeled after the Egyptian Free Officers Movement that had led the 1952 Revolution All those who joined the Iraqi Free Officers Organization were bound by a single objective and goal: the overthrow of the monarchy in Iraq. This objective constituted the fundamental basis upon which the relationship between Abd al-Karim Qasim and Abd al-Salam Arif was built during that period. Their preoccupation with achieving this goal prevented each of them from fully understanding the other’s character and personal traits. Moreover, the surrounding circumstances were not conducive to the emergence of other aspects of their personalities.After the two men and their associates succeeded in igniting the revolution and bringing an end to monarchical rule in Iraq, the Qasim–Arif relationship began to take a different course following the 14 July 1958 Revolution. This shift is attributed to the formation of an environment conducive to the emergence of other facets of their personalities, most notably the desire of each to monopolize power. This desire, alongside other factors related to differences in their ideological orientations and their divergent approaches to governing the country, contributed to the creation, growth, and eventual intensification of the conflict between the two former comrades-in-arms.The conflict ultimately ended with the killing of Abd al-Karim Qasim by Abd al-Salam Arif in the aftermath of the latter’s participation, in cooperation with the Ba‘athists, in the military coup of 8 February 1963. Thus, the day on which the death sentence was carried out against Abd al-Karim Qasim, 9 February 1963, marked the end of the Qasim–Arif conflict.