The book "The Communist Intellectual Under Occupation - The Iraqi Experience" by the researcher and novelist Salam Aboud highlights how, within just a year of occupation, traditional communist leaders not only engaged in governance under the American ruler but also were among the first to congratulate Bush and Blair on liberating Iraq. They thanked every invader, acknowledging the lives lost as a testament to solidarity among people recognizing Earth as a single homeland (Statement by Iraqi Intellectuals 2-7-2004). Communists entered the Governing Council, held ministerial positions, and two members ascended to the House of Representatives, though this was seen as a superficial and temporary tactical victory. Soon, they found themselves isolated, fighting alone. This loss of the left's voice was a natural outcome of the occupation's policy, combined with these intellectuals' inability to play a significant national and social role. Their retreat signaled a decline of socialist and democratic movements, leading to severe impoverishment of political, social, and cultural reality, comparable to the invasion's devastation and resource plundering. Communists were suddenly faced with a political formula they always resisted: occupation, sectarianism, and ethnicity. Surprisingly accepted by former adversaries as part of the official ruling setup, they had strayed from their ideological essence characterized by secularism, internationalism, and class solidarity, being repositioned as a sectarian component. Communist leaders, driven by pragmatic considerations, accepted these shocks with relief, assimilating the contradictions while enjoying the perks of the new authority—considered the best among evils.

Author: Salam Aboud
Publisher: Al-Jamal Publications - Beirut
Year of Publication: 2014
Pages: 383
Volume: 1
Binding: Paperback
Paper Type: Recycled

ISBN: 9789933350109