 Complete the following phrase:  Assad wanted to democratize the party by making it easier for people to join. Jadid was wary of too large a membership, believing that the majority of those who joined were opportunists. Assad, in an interview with Patrick Seale in the 1980s, stated that such a policy would make Party members believe they were a privileged class. Another problem, Assad believed, was the lack of local-government institutions. Under Jadid, there was no governmental level below the Council of Ministers the Syrian government. When the Baathist Iraqi Regional Branch which continued to support the Aflaqite leadership took control of Iraq in the 