Salah al-Din al-Bitar

Salah al-Din al-Bitar, born in 1912, was a prominent Syrian politician and diplomat known for his pivotal role in the formation of the Baʿath Party alongside Michel Aflaq in the early 1940s. Their collaboration began during their student years in Paris in the early 1930s, where they developed a political doctrine that intricately wove together elements of nationalism and socialism.

Throughout his political career, Bitar held the position of prime minister in several of the early Ba'athist governments in Syria. However, as the party's ideology shifted towards a more radical stance, Bitar found himself increasingly alienated from the organization he helped to establish.

In 1966, amid growing tensions and political strife, Bitar made the difficult decision to flee Syria, subsequently residing primarily in Europe. Despite his exile, he remained an active figure in political circles until his tragic assassination in Paris in 1980, a violent act attributed to unidentified hitmen believed to be connected to the regime of Hafez al-Assad.