Notes RE: The Mauritanian Baʿth  What follows is a series of
notes on the general outline of the history of the Baʿthist
tendency in Mauritania. The information below has been gathered
from primary and secondary sources, especially conversations and
documents. Apologies for the lack of specific citations for each
item; some of these are the result of problems transferring
footnotes or internet links that have been consulted but are now
dead and some are from conversations with individuals who cannot
be identified. It is imperfectly semi-chronological because it
is pieced together from notes taken at various times over
relatively long periods. Updates and clarifications will follow.
1. In Mauritania, as in other Arab states, there were
historically two strands of Baʿthist politics. Baʿthis were a
minor factor in Mauritanian politics until roughly 1991, though
their membership continues to recycle throughout Mauritanian
society. The Arab Socialist Baʿth Party was founded at Damascus
in 1940 by Michel Aflaq and