Abd al-Karim Qasim

Qasim, leading the Free Officers movement, orchestrated a military coup that overthrew King Faisal II and the Hashemite monarchy. The royal family was executed, and Iraq was declared a republic with Qasim as Prime Minister.

Qasim withdrew Iraq from the Baghdad Pact, shifting the country's foreign policy away from Western alignment. He pursued a neutralist stance and improved relations with the Soviet Union, altering the regional balance of power.

Qasim claimed sovereignty over Kuwait shortly after its independence from Britain, leading to a military standoff. British forces intervened to protect Kuwait, and Qasim's claim was widely condemned, isolating Iraq diplomatically.

Qasim was overthrown in a Ba'athist coup led by Abdul Salam Arif and Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr. After a brief trial, he was executed by firing squad. His death ended the first republican government of Iraq and ushered in Ba'athist rule.