The Baath Party is dedicated to secular Arab nationalism, attempting to install sympathetic leaders in a variety of different Middle Eastern nations in the hopes of kick-starting a unified, pan-Arab movement. The Party has risen to power in two Arab nations - Syria, where it has ruled since 1963, and Iraq, where Baath leader Saddam Hussein was removed from power and later executed. In December of 2008, 35 officials from Iraq's Ministry of the Interior were arrested for attempting to reconstitute the Iraqi Baath Party, outlawed in that nation since June of 2003.BBC News: Baathist mistake corrected amid concern (January 12, 2008)

After the invasion of Iraq by US forces in the summer of 2003, the Iraqi Baath Party was made illegal, and members were no longer allowed to serve in government or military positions. As membership in the party had been mandatory in order to serve in these positions prior to the Iraq War, this left a power vacuum, and is thought to have led in part to the increasingly unstable, chaotic nature of post-war Iraqi society.BBC News: Baathist mistake corrected amid concern (January 12, 2008) In January of 2008, Iraq's parliament voted to begin to allow former Baathists back into their government positions and to reinstate their pensions.McClatchy: Iraq's parliament lets Baathists back into government (January 12, 2008) The vote was resisted by Shiite Muslims, who view the predominantly Sunni Baathists as oppressors.McClatchy: Iraq's parliament lets Baathists back into government (January 12, 2008)