14590 General Abdul Karim Kassem's regimo which was overthrown by a military coup somo days age, was a bonapartist dictatorship constantly at war on various fronts in its sfforts to hang on to power, Kassem battlod the pro- Nassor Arab nationalists who belonged to a wing of the Ba'ath (Socialist Party of Arab Ranaissance) a petty—bourgeois nationalist party influential in Syria and Jordan as well as Irac. He repressed the Communist Party which had been decisive in kesping him in power and in helping him put down the pro—Nasserite insurrection at Mosul, He was against the Kurds, who are struggling to conguer national autonomy. He was against the remnants of the old Nouri es Said regime and the direct stooges of British imperialian among both ths landlord class and the comprador bourgeoisie. He cpened the way to his down fall by failing to carry forward the revolution begun in 1958, Brutal repressiv meamires proved insufficient to make up fer his loss in popularity. Inthe jrab world, nationalist layers hailed the overthrow of the Kassem regine and the victory of Colonal Abdel Salem Aref. Iraqi students in Britain staged a bic demonstration, Yugoslavia as well as most of the Arab countries, including Algeria granted recognition to the new razgime oy Emotions however wera somewhat mixed. The evident strengthening of Nasserism caused anxiety, especially among reactionary forces in Syria and Jordan and anongst Zionist leaders in Israel. On the left, despite Aleoria's guick recognition of the new regime, the daily newspaper Bl Chaab printed a discordant note. “As for the population", it reported, "it was truly 'stunnsd! by the suddeness of the coup d'etat and by its extent, Most people appeared to be uneasy and dismayed. The aspect of the crowd which hurried yosterrday on tho sidewalks of Baghdad was far from the delirious enthusiam which has marked tho tone of Radio Baghdad since the befzinning'of the coup d'etat,"
The disastrous policies of the Comminist party should now be plain to everyone, In 1958 it was the strongest party in Iraq. Instead of taking power it preferred to back Kassem, In this way it conformed to Moscow's policy of sesking to support the statas quo, Today the ranks of the Comminist Party, and in fact, overyone accused of association with “communisn™ however renotely,are victims of a bitter purge. This position has been reached through default by the leadership of the Iraqi CP. ‘“Supprrt from Rritain has beon obtaineé by the new government by promising not to touch the Iraq Petroleum Company, the international consortium which oxploits the Iraq oil fields, imerican support has been given because of the hope that the "revolution" will continue on its anti-Comminist course, One cannot help feeling that the Iraqi CP might have supported the new rezgimo if it had not been for the fact that it hed turned against them in auch e« bloody manner. Their provious unprincipled support of Kassem and neglect of the class—struggle in Iraq would not have procluded this from the realm of probability.,
The political implications of the Aref revolt are simply that they sharpen the contradictions in the Middle Bast, Aref is tuying Western support ty not touching the 011 interests, but in order to seck popular appeal he may move against Eritish oi1 interests, He may also hare to do this in order to curry favour with Nasser,
Certainly, the Aref regime cannot be welcomed in tha mannor that Tribune has done, via Fenner Brockway, who welcomes the "revolution" and its neutralist flavour as a forward step. Heads have rolled, new people wield power, but for Socialism the prospect has hardly alterod. Tho lesson to be learnt form these developments are those that accrms6 from the behaviour of the Iraq C.P. who have queered their pitch in recent years hy supporting . Kassem at the exponseof developing revolutionary trends in Iraq whem the conditions were essentially favourable, The events of last week should heave highlighted the coming to power of a Left-wing Socialist Government, instead | of heralding a further poriod of Middle Bast instability, —,,