ABSTRACT
The subject of Chapter 7 is the relationship between Syria and Iraq. Relations between Damascus and Baghdad are particularly interesting and relevant for this research. The Ba’th party was in fact in power in both countries for long parts of the period of this study. Furthermore, both countries were revisionist, unhappy with the regional balance and seeking to challenge it. Despite these similarities, the two Arab powers were rivals throughout most of their modern history. The 1978 rapprochement was caused by changes at a regional level and particularly by the two powers’ need to address Egypt’s separate peace with Israel. This détente, however, proved to be short-lived, as competition between the two powers soon re-emerged. Syria’s re-alignment with Iran and the start of the Iran-Iraq conflict exacerbated the split between Damascus and Baghdad but was also part of a longer pattern of rivalry between Syria and Iraq.
