I don't think it is fair to describe Baathism as similar to a Zionist blood and soil understanding of the Jewish people. 'Aflaq, as far as I know, denied this type of understanding when defining the Arab people. He instead defines the Arab people as partaking in a shared cultural and linguistic heritage:
I don't think it is fair to describe Baathism as similar to a Zionist blood and soil understanding of the Jewish people. 'Aflaq, as far as I know, denied this type of understanding when defining the Arab people. He instead defines the Arab people as partaking in a shared cultural and linguistic heritage:
http://albaath.online.fr/Volume%20I-Chapters/Fi%20Sabil%20al%20Baath-Vol%201-Ch39.htm
His son also affirms this too and denies that his father was influenced or had any liking to Nazi Aryan race theory:
http://www.alarabiya.net/articles/2007/05/07/34221.html
Of course, practice is very different but Saddam had other motivations too.