Abdul Salam Arif

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Lore & Background

Abdul Rahman Arif's path to the presidency was bound to his older brother Abdul Salam. A career soldier, he backed the 1958 military coup that toppled the monarchy and later supported the 1963 coup that placed his brother in power. Abdul Salam appointed him head of the army. When Abdul Salam died in an aircraft crash in April 1966, Prime Minister Abdul Rahman al-Bazzaz, a Western-oriented lawyer and the first civilian to lead an Iraqi government since the 1958 revolution, became acting president. Three days later, al-Bazzaz was chosen to become president but immediately relinquished the presidency to Abdul Rahman Arif. It is speculated that the transfer of power possibly occurred because the Iraqi military thought that Abdul Salam should be succeeded by his weak and easier to manipulate brother instead. Arif was appointed president by the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council. He continued his brother's policies, but with a more nationalistic profile. Like his brother, he was an overt supporter of Egypt's pan-Arabist president Gamal Abdel Nasser. Arif Abdul Razzak, a pro-Nasser Air Force Commander, attempted a coup on Arif, lightly bombing the Presidential Palace with Soviet MiG-17 jets, but the coup failed and he was arrested. It was his second failed coup attempt on the Arif government. President Arif went on television to declare that on this occasion, Abdul Razzak would definitely be punished, only to then release him with a pardon.

Reader's Guide

Abdul Rahman Arif's presidency was widely believed to be slack and indecisive, though historical clues suggest he was not corrupt. The ill-advised law he passed to absolve himself from paying income tax was probably an indication that he was not capable of getting wealth otherwise. Shortly after Arif came to power, the Iraqi military launched a major offensive against Kurdish rebels led by Mustafa Barzani in the First Iraqi–Kurdish War, pitting 40,000 Iraqi troops against Barzani's 3,500-strong Peshmerga. Iranian and Israeli support contributed to a decisive Kurdish victory at the Battle of Mount Handren on 11 May 1966, where a battle plan devised by IDF military officer Zuri Sagy resulted in the killing of 1,400-2,000 Iraqi troops and the capture of hundreds more. Regime hard-liners were discredited by the debacle, and on 29 June 1966, Bazzaz announced a Twelve Point Plan for peace, which included 'administrative decentralisation' in Iraqi Kurdistan and 'Kurdish representation in Parliament'. Throughout July 1966, Bazzaz began implementing the agreement by approving a massive rehabilitation program, lifting the economic blockade, releasing hundreds of Kurdish prisoners, removing Arab tribes from former Kurdish lands, and passing a general amnesty law, but opposition within the military forced Arif to dismiss Bazzaz in favor of General Naji Talib on 6 August 1966. American officials in the Lyndon B. Johnson administration welcomed Iraq's brief return to civilian rule under Bazzaz as well as Arif's thwarting of Razzak's second coup attempt on 30 June. Arif was considered 'one of the few forces of moderation' in Iraq, having previously established a friendship with U.S. ambassador Robert Strong and making a number of friendly gestures to the United States between April 1966 and January 1967. At Arif's request, President Johnson met five Iraqi generals and Iraqi ambassador Nasir Hani in Washington, D.C., on 25 January 1967, reiterating his 'desire to build an ever closer relationship between [the] two governments.' According to Johnson's National Security Adviser, Walt Rostow, the U.S. National Security Council even contemplated welcoming Arif on a state visit to Washington, although this proposal was ultimately rejected due to concerns about the stability of Arif's government. Prior to the outbreak of the Six-Day War, Iraqi foreign minister Adnan Pachachi met with a number of U.S. officials to discuss the escalating Middle East crisis on 1 June, including the U.S. ambassador to the UN Arthur Goldberg, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Eugene V. Rostow, Secretary of State Dean Rusk, and President Johnson himself. The political atmosphere engendered by the costly Arab defeat prompted Iraq to break relations with the U.S. on 7 June, and ultimately ensured the collapse of Arif's relatively moderate government. On 17 July 1968, while Arif was sleeping, his own assistants along with members of the Ba'ath Party, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, overthrew him in a bloodless coup. As Arif and his brother had done in the 1963 coup against Qasim, the coalition declared victory once they had captured the radio station and the Ministry of Defence. It was accomplished when the defence minister, Hardan al-Tikriti, phoned Arif informing him that he was no longer president. Arif was exiled to Turkey. He returned to Iraq in 1979 when Saddam Hussein came to power, and largely stayed out of the public and political spotlight afterwards. He was allowed to leave the country once to undertake the Hajj. Arif left Iraq permanently after Hussein was removed from power by the U.S.-led invasion, and lived in Amman, Jordan from 2004. He died in Amman on 24 August 2007. He was married to Faika Abdul-Mageed Faris Alanee.

Did You Know?

• Abdul Rahman Arif was the older brother of the second president of Iraq, Abdul Salam Arif, whom he succeeded after his brother died in an airplane crash in 1966.
• Prime Minister Abdul Rahman al-Bazzaz was briefly chosen as president after Abdul Salam's death but immediately relinquished the presidency to Abdul Rahman Arif.
• Arif Abdul Razzak attempted a coup against Arif by lightly bombing the Presidential Palace with Soviet MiG-17 jets; it was his second failed coup attempt on the Arif government.
• At the Battle of Mount Handren on 11 May 1966, a battle plan devised by IDF officer Zuri Sagy resulted in the killing of 1,400-2,000 Iraqi troops and the capture of hundreds more.
• Arif was overthrown on 17 July 1968 while sleeping, when his own assistants and Ba'ath Party members staged a bloodless coup; defence minister Hardan al-Tikriti phoned him to say he was no longer president.

The Weight of a Brother's Shadow

Abdul Rahman Arif's path to the presidency was inextricably bound to his older brother Abdul Salam. A career soldier in the Iraqi Army, he backed the 1958 military coup that toppled the monarchy and later supported the 1963 coup that placed his brother in the presidential chair. Abdul Salam, in turn, elevated him to head of the army. When Abdul Salam perished in an aircraft crash in April 1966, the succession was anything but straightforward. Prime Minister Abdul Rahman al-Bazzaz, a Western-oriented lawyer and the first civilian to lead an Iraqi government since the revolution, briefly assumed the presidency before immediately yielding it to Abdul Rahman. Historians have speculated that the Iraqi military preferred a weaker, more pliable successor to Abdul Salam, and the Revolutionary Command Council formally appointed Abdul Rahman as president. He carried forward his brother's policies while adopting a sharper nationalistic tone and remained an outspoken backer of Egypt's Gamal Abdel Nasser and pan-Arabism.

War with Kurdistan and the Bazzaz Experiment

Shortly after assuming the presidency, Arif's government launched a massive military offensive against Kurdish rebels under Mustafa Barzani, igniting the First Iraqi-Kurdish War. The campaign pitted roughly 40,000 Iraqi soldiers against Barzani's force of about 3,500 Peshmerga fighters. The conflict ended in a humiliating defeat at the Battle of Mount Handren on 11 May 1966, where a battle plan reportedly devised by an Israeli Defense Forces officer resulted in the deaths of between 1,400 and 2,000 Iraqi troops and the capture of hundreds more. Iranian and Israeli backing for the Kurdish side contributed to the lopsided outcome. The debacle discredited the regime's hard-liners and opened space for diplomacy. On 29 June 1966, Prime Minister Bazzaz unveiled a Twelve Point Plan offering administrative decentralisation in Iraqi Kurdistan and Kurdish seats in Parliament. Throughout July, Bazzaz moved to implement the accord—approving a rehabilitation program, lifting the economic blockade, freeing hundreds of Kurdish prisoners, relocating Arab tribes from Kurdish lands, and enacting a general amnesty. Yet military opposition compelled Arif to dismiss Bazzaz in favor of General Naji Talib on 6 August 1966.

A Moderate Voice and American Ties

Arif's presidency was widely characterized as slack and indecisive, yet evidence suggests he was not driven by personal enrichment—a self-serving tax exemption law he passed likely reflected an inability to accumulate wealth otherwise. His tenure was tested by a coup attempt from Air Force Commander Arif Abdul Razzak, who lightly bombed the Presidential Palace with Soviet MiG-17 jets. It was Razzak's second such attempt. Arif appeared on television to declare that Razzak would face punishment, only to subsequently grant him a pardon. American officials in the Lyndon Johnson administration viewed Arif as one of the few moderating forces in Iraq. He had cultivated a friendship with U.S. ambassador Robert Strong and made several friendly gestures toward Washington between April 1966 and January 1967. At Arif's request, President Johnson received five Iraqi generals and ambassador Nasir Hani in Washington on 25 January 1967, expressing a desire for closer ties. The National Security Council even considered a state visit for Arif, though the proposal was shelved over stability concerns. Before the Six-Day War, Iraqi foreign minister Adnan Pachachi met with senior U.S. officials on 1 June to discuss the escalating crisis. The devastating Arab defeat that followed prompted Iraq to sever relations with the United States on 7 June, effectively ending Arif's moderate orientation.

The Final Coup and a Quiet Exile

Arif's presidency ended not with a dramatic confrontation but with a quiet phone call. On 17 July 1968, while he slept, his own assistants joined forces with Ba'ath Party members, including Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, to stage a bloodless coup. The coalition declared victory after securing the radio station and the Ministry of Defence. Defence minister Hardan al-Tikriti then telephoned Arif to inform him that he was no longer president. The method mirrored the 1963 coup that Arif and his brother had executed against Qasim. Following his ouster, Arif was exiled to Turkey. He returned to Iraq in 1979, when Saddam Hussein rose to power, and thereafter largely remained out of the public and political spotlight. He was permitted to leave the country once to perform the Hajj pilgrimage. After the U.S.-led invasion removed Hussein from power, Arif departed Iraq permanently and settled in Amman, Jordan, in 2004. He lived there until his death on 24 August 2007. He had been married to Faika Abdul-Mageed Faris Alanee throughout his life.