16. Ba’athist Ideological Justification of Genocide against the Kurds

This chapter examines the role of Ba’athist ideology in legitimizing state-sponsored violence and genocide, with a particular focus on the oppression of the Kurds in Iraq. It argues that these genocidal actions should not be perceived just as byproducts of war and armed conflict, but rather as deeply entrenched in the Ba’ath Party’s enduring doctrinal and ideological principles, from its formation to its dissolution. The chapter rigorously examines Ba’athist ideological literature, illustrating its role in justifying and legitimizing institutional brutality against the Kurds. This study employs the theoretical frameworks of Karl Mannheim, Louis Althusser, and Hannah Arendt, among others, to examine how authoritarian ideologies function as systems of social control and instruments of governmental violence. It highlights four principal forms of genocide perpetrated against the Kurds, each rationalized within Ba’athist ideology: forced displacement and demographic destruction, mass deportation and revocation of citizenship, Arabization and cultural eradication, and the deployment of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in ethnic cleansing operations. This chapter shifts attention to the intellectual foundations that facilitated and perpetuated the organized genocidal campaigns documented by several international organizations and independent entities. By examining the ideological basis of Ba’athist rule, the chapter contributes to broader studies on the interplay between ideology, state brutality, and genocide.