Attacks on education, both physical and symbolic in nature, have various motives and consequences, and thus attempts at comparison can be challenging. This article is a descriptive comparative analysis of political attacks on higher education, defined for this purpose as attacks supported, ignored, or perpetuated by political powers. The units of analysis are Zimbabwe and Iraq, selected for their historical contexts that include long-term oppressive regimes and violence against higher education. This article employs document collection as a methodological approach and Galtung's (1990) Violence Triangle as a lens for document analysis. Contextual equivalency between Zimbabwe and Iraq is established; political attacks on higher education are compared and contrasted; and implications for policymakers, educators, the international community, and researchers are provided.