Open Journal of Political Science, 2020, 10, 124-133
https://www.scirp.org/journal/ojps
ISSN Online: 2164-0513
ISSN Print: 2164-0505
DOI: 10.4236/ojps.2020.101009 Jan. 17, 2020 124 Open Journal of Political Science
The Baatho-Assadist System, a System of
Political Instrumentalisation
Samira Mobaied
SU Sorbonne Université, Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle, IRD, Patrimoines locaux, environnement et globalisation
(PALOC, UMR 208), Paris, France
Abstract
Various studies on political instrumentalisation show its application in sever-
al areas as an element of political recovery of all forms of protest in favour of
power. In this context, this study analyses the different facades of the political
instrumentalisation of the Syrian political system. The instrumentalisation of
civil society, the instrumentalisation of education, the instrumentalisation of
Syrian constitution, the instrumentalisation of secularism and religions, the
instrumentalisation of opposition, the instrumentalisation of the Palestini-
an-Israeli conflict and Arab nationalism, the instrumentalisation of media
and the instrumentalisation of culture and of space and cities have been ana-
lysed. Syria is considered to be a country subject to a single party that mono-
polises political activity within the state the Baath Party, the only political
party standing for election, and the only one governing the country conti-
nuously since 1963; all the elements analysed in this study show that instru-
mentalisation is a fundamental method of the Syrian political system. It is
used systematically and methodically.
Keywords
Syria, Political Instrumentalisation, Baath, Assad
1. Introduction
Instrumentalisation as defined by Marc Uhalde, a sociology researcher, is the
diversion of a process or object towards purposes other than those initially con-
ceived, an illegitimate diversion with regard to the values or normative concep-
tions implicit in the process (Uhalde, 2008). This diversion leads to a political
recovery of all forms of protest in favour of power, according to John D. H.
Downing, a communications specialist; it is a subversive plagiarism that diverts
language and images from their intended use (Downing, 2000).
How to cite this paper: Mobaied, S.
(2020). The Baatho-Assadist System, a
System of Political Instrumentalisation.
Open Journal of Political Science, 10,
124-133.
https://doi.org/10.4236/ojps.2020.101009
Received: December 20, 2019
Accepted: January 14, 2020
Published: January 17, 2020
Copyright © 2020 by author(s) and
Scientific Research Publishing Inc.
This work is licensed under the Creative
Commons Attribution International
License (CC BY 4.0).
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Open Access