Though the Syrian and Iraqi Baath parties were bitter foes, there was consolation in that both were members of a confederacy of despotisms. For the Syrians, a democratic Iraq friendly to the US was always far worse than Saddam Hussein, the enemy they knew – and later profitably traded with – during the years of international sanctions against Iraq.
在伊拉克问题上，2003年4月9日巴格达被占领后，大马士革就对过去的政权表现出异乎寻常的怀念。尽管叙利亚和伊拉克复兴党曾经誓不两立，但同为专制联盟的成员无形之间拉近了两国的距离。对叙利亚人来讲，亲美国的民主伊拉克远比不上萨达姆·侯赛因，他们了解这个老对手，后来还在伊拉克遭到国际制裁时从双边贸易中获利颇丰。