The Role of the Kennedy Administration in the 1963 Coup

The 1963 coup in Iraq was significantly influenced by the Kennedy administration's aspirations for modernization rather than solely by oil companies. While many assumed that the U.S. aimed to maintain its interests primarily through oil firms, the administration viewed the Ba'ath Party as a plausible alternative to Qassim's regime, aligning with its goal of promoting neutralism without Soviet ties. The U.S. attempted to mobilize oil company support for the coup, pushing them to help stabilize the new Ba'athist government through the re-negotiation of oil prices and taxation. This dependency on U.S. backing contributed to the internal instability of the Ba'ath regime, resulting in its overthrow by a Nasserist faction mere months later.