The Baathists in Iraq became more infused with Islamicism from the late 90s when it seemed like that was the only way to stay in power. This was a consequence of Gulf war one
>>”The Baathists in Iraq became more infused with Islamicism from the late 90s when it seemed like that was the only way to stay in power. This was a consequence of Gulf war one”<<
I’d say the Baathists in Iraq became more infused with Islamicism following the downfall of USSR; that’s the key milestone. Not that they were ideologically aligned with the Islamists but that they needed a temporary alliance & more of an overarching umbrella to gather and exert power, particularly in the late 1990s as you say. Although Saddam himself was brutal (especially with certain groups), he was very secular in how he ran Iraq.
Actually, Saudi Arabia directly and indirectly contributed to the downfall of USSR, in an economic sense, through oil production and prices. Additionally, Saudis were financing the creation of Taliban (mujahedeen) during the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan throughout the 1980s.
The rise of Islamism in that region started during Carter administration with Zbigniew Brzezinski’s Greenbelt of Islam (theory/strategy) to halt Soviet expansion in the region. It was implemented to begin with, with the Ayatollahs in Iran (another key milestone) who were supported by Carter administration (France and Britain) - little did they know that many ayatollahs were/are actually hybrid communists-Islamists.
The strategy continued throughout 1980s, by supporting the mujahedeen (later became known as the Taliban) in Afghanistan, who were financed by Saudis, and were largely trained in Pakistan (during Soviet invasion of Afghanistan); when I say training I mean both in hardcore Islamic ideology in Madrassas in Pakistan, and militarily. The U.S. and Britain also provided weapons.
After the fall of the USSR, a series of other events took place in Afghanistan alone, and Islamism became more widespread, as those subscribing to the ideology became emboldened by seeing an Islamic govt in Iran and later Taliban in Afghanistan.
In fact, during the 1990s, the West didn’t have much of a problem with the Taliban on the grounds of “Islamism” or how they treated women there. It was only after 9/11 in 2001 that the Taliban were viewed as a threat.
Anyway, we are where we are. We are actually responsible for the spread of Islamism since the late of 1970s. Question is how do we deal with this huge problem now? Our dear leaders don’t seem to have a feasible solution...