National Command of the Ba'ath Party

The National Command of the Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party was the ruling organ of the party between sessions of the National Congress, and was headed by a Secretary General.[1] Between National Congresses, the National Command was held accountable by the National Consultative Council (Arabic: al-majlis al-istishari al-quami).[2] The National Consultative Council was a forum made up of representatives from the party's regional branches.[2] However, the number of National Consultative Council members were decided by the size of the regional branch.[2] The National Congress elected the National Command, National Tribunal, the party's discipline body, and the Secretary General, the party leader.[2] The congress delegates determined the party's policies and procedures.[2]

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Baathism
Organisations Arab Baath 1940–1947 Arab Baath Movement 1940–1947 Baath Party 1947–1966 Baath Party (pro-Iraqi) 1968–2003 Baath Party (pro-Syrian) 1966–present
People Zaki al-Arsuzi Michel Aflaq Salah al-Din al-Bitar Abdullah Rimawi Wahib al-Ghanim Fuad al-Rikabi Salah Jadid Hafez al-Assad Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr Saddam Hussein Bashar al-Assad Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri
Literature On the Way of Resurrection The Battle for One Destiny The Genius of Arabic in Its Tongue
History Baathist Iraq Ramadan Revolution November 1963 coup d'état 17 July Revolution Iran–Iraq War Gulf War UN sanctions Iraq War De-Baathification Baathist Syria Syrian Committee to Help Iraq 1963 / 1966 coup d'états Corrective Revolution Civil War
Regional organisations Algeria pro-Iraq pro-Syria Bahrain pro-Iraq pro-Syria Egypt pro-Iraq pro-Syria Iraq pro-Iraq pro-Syria Jordan pro-Iraq pro-Syria Kuwait pro-Iraq Lebanon pro-Iraq pro-Syria Libya pro-Iraq Mauritania pro-Iraq pro-Syria Palestine pro-Iraq pro-Syria Sudan pro-Iraq pro-Syria Syria pro-Iraq pro-Syria Tunisia pro-Iraq pro-Syria Yemen pro-Iraq pro-Syria
Splinter groups Arab Socialist Revolutionary Ba'ath Party 1960–1962/63 Socialist Lebanon 1965–1970 Arab Revolutionary Workers Party 1966–present Democratic Socialist Arab Ba'ath Party 1970–present Sudanese Ba'ath Party 2002–present
Related topics Arab nationalism Arab socialism Nasserism Pan-Arabism
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The National Command had sweeping authority.[3] The National Congress was the only body which could hold a vote of confidence against the National Command.[3] It had the authority to establish party organizations, to direct the affairs of subordinate party organs which, according to the party's Internal Rules, could not "for any reason direct themselves", the authority to elect and dissolve a Regional Command, to approve party-to-party cooperation, to approve of the party's participation in government and legislative assemblies, to publish works in the party's name, to direct party policy on international affairs and decide on all matters regarding party policy.[3] Because of these responsibilities several National Command organs were established, such as the Secretariat and the National Liaisons Office for instance.[3]

Before 1954, the party was ruled by the Executive Committee, but this organ, along with others too, were replaced at the 2nd National Congress (for more, see "Structure" section).[1] In Ba'athist jargon "Nation" means the Arab Nation, because of that, the National Command formed the highest policy-making and coordinating council for the Ba'ath movement throughout the Arab world.[1] The National Command had several bureaus, similar to those of the Regional Command.[2] National Command sessions were held monthly.[2] Of these, the National Liaisons Office was responsible for maintaining contact with the party's Regional Branches.[4]