The Role of Iraq’s Former Regime Elements in Islamic State
The Role of Iraq’s Former Regime Elements in Islamic State

Author(s): Tomasz Berg, Patrycja Sasnal
Subject(s): Politics, Governance, Public Administration, Public Law, Geopolitics
Published by: PISM Polski Instytut Spraw Międzynarodowych
Keywords: Iraq; Islamic State; Middle East; Security; terrorism; terrorist organisations
Summary/Abstract: Former Baathists—members of the Baath Party that ruled Iraq under Saddam Hussein—including army and security officers, are today the most influential figures in the Islamic State (IS). The opportunism and ideological ambiguity of the former regime elements (FRE) make them ruthless tacticians who use torture and intimidation, but they should also be seen as a potential Achilles heel of the IS. The EU, together with the United States, needs to cooperate on political intelligence in order to examine the possibilities and conditions for weakening IS by bargaining with some of its key members.

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