Arab Socialist Union (Iraq)

The Iraqi Arab Socialist Union (Arabic: الاتحاد الاشتراكى العربى العراقي‎‎, Al-Ittiḥād Al-Ištirākī Al-ʿArabī Al-Iraqi) was a political party in Iraq based on the principles of Nasserist Arab socialism. It was a sister party to the Arab Socialist Union parties that sprung up in a number of Arab countries.

In Iraq, the ASU after the overthrow of the Baathists in between time of Ramadan to the revolt of President Abdul Salam Arif preferred and only officially authorized party, but could not effectively compete with the traditionally influential parties and power groups. The Iraqi Arab Socialist Union was founded in July 1964 came on the establishment of preparatory committee also not. These committees have failed in the goal to integrate the existing parties as well as on the task that was to promote planned by Nasser and Arif gradual economic, military and political union of Egypt and Iraq. Chairman of the Iraqi ASU just the former secretary general of the Iraqi Baath Party, Fuad al-Rikabi. Iraqi ASU was the General Secretary and Information Minister Abdul Karim Farhan. Several smaller parties are dissolved and joined the IASU, the most important of these was a union with Nasser's Egypt oriented ANM. In September 1964 the Egyptian and Iraqi ASU were combined in a joint Executive Committee under Nasser's leadership.

After the coup attempts by the Prime Minister Nasser Arif Abd ar-Razzaq (September 1965, July 1966) and Abdul Karim Farhan (October 1965) and the failure of the Egyptian-Iraqi union plans was put under the Iraqi ASU in October 1966 directly to the government. A group led by al-Rikabi split then as Arab Socialist Movement (ASM) from. Arif was instead in July 1968 was overthrown by a Baathist coup military, immediately dissolved the IASU Preparatory Committee and finally ar-Rikabi were thrown into prison (where he died in 1971). As in Syria, the Iraqi Baathists 1973-1979 rival progressive and patriotic parties tied in a coalition of the Progressive National Front, a patriotic, Nasserist was a movement it anymore.