Ba'athism, also stylized as Baathism, (/ˈbɑːθɪzm/; Arabic: البعثية al-Baʿthīyah IPA: [albaʕˈθijja], from بعث baʿth IPA: [baʕθ], meaning "renaissance" or "resurrection") is an Arab nationalist ideology which promotes the creation and development of a unified Arab state through the leadership of a vanguard party over a progressive revolutionary government. The ideology is officially based on the theories of the Syrian intellectuals Michel Aflaq (per the Iraqi-led Ba'ath Party), Zaki al-Arsuzi (per the Syrian-led Ba'ath Party), and Salah al-Din al-Bitar. Baathist leaders of the modern era include the former leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, former President of Syria, Hafez Assad and his son, the current President of Syria, Bashar Assad.