Saddam Hussein The Butcher of Baghdad By Lance Jewkes Ryan Rice Tristan Roberts.

Saddam HusseinThe Butcher of Baghdad

By Lance JewkesRyan Rice

Tristan Roberts

Facts About Iraq

• Located in the Persian Gulf • Mostly desert, exception is a small northeast region

and along the small coast• Slightly more than twice the size of Idaho• Permanent vegetation found in Northeast and in

marshlands, latter however has been mostly drained• 29,671,605 residents (July 2010 est.) 67% live in

urban centers• 95% of population are Muslims

Brief Overview of Iraq’s History

• Essentially existed since the times of Mesopotamia • Fell under rule of the Ancient Persians, later the Parthians and Sassanids until

the Arab conquests of the 7th century and even later the Ottoman conquest• Member of Ottoman Empire until the First World War in which Britain assumed

control after defeating Turkish forces in the region• 1920 Britain ruled country as part of a League of Nations mandate• 1932 Iraq achieves independence from Britain, becoming a kingdom under rule

of Faisal I• 1933 Assyrian Christians revolt, bringing a military crackdown that would

characterize handling of minorities in future years• 1939-45 Iraq supported Axis powers but were again conquered by Britain for

refusing to honor previous military treaties. Creates heavy anti British sentiment• 1948 Iraq waged unsuccessful war against Israel alongside their Arab brethren

• 1954 Premier Nuri al-Said dissolves parliament. Western support increases as a result of USSR support for Kurdish population. Oil companies set up

• July 14, 1958 General Abdul Karim Qassim leads a military revolt and proclaims Iraq an Islamic Republic. Iraq pulls itself out of the Arab Union separating Iraq and Jordan. Though considered a republic, Iraq would be ruled by a series of strongmen who each ruled like dictators. This was possible due to the barbarous political realm in which torture and assassinations were the norm

• Iraq pursues neutrality during Cold War• Relations with neighbors become antagonistic when Iraq claimed

sovereignty over Kuwait and Iranian territory• Kurdish revolts lasting through 1960s and 1970s• February 1963 Colonel Abd al-Salam Aref leads a coup that instates

Ba’ath party as rulers of Iraq but President Aref expels them in another coup

• Following death of President Aref, Ba’ath lead another coup and bloodlessly overthrow his brother

• Ba’ath party purge opponents, but allow Communist party to emerge following a friendly relations treaty with USSR

• 1973 Took active part in Arab-Israeli War and ensuing oil boycott

• 1974 Open conflict with Iran over Shatt al Arab waterway• 1975 Kurdish people revolt once more, but meet disaster

when Iran withdraws support. Iraq bombs Kurdish villages in Northern Iran in retaliation

• Shiites, who formed the majority of population and were excluded from power by the Sunni minority, opposed Iraq’s government, a threat exacerbated by the Islamic Revolution in neighboring Iran

• July 1979 the President of Iraq resigns, giving power to his second

Saddam’s Childhood• He was born Saddam Hussein al-Majid al Tikriti on April 28, 1937 in

a small village called al Awja to poor rural farmers• Father disappeared following his son’s birth and was replaced by an

overly abusive step father who forced Saddam to steal just to survive

• Upon turning ten, the future dictator moved in with his uncle who was a member of the military. As a result the boy wished to enlist and become a crusader for Arab unity

• Saddam’s interest in politics and military affairs grew throughout his schooling years until at age 16 he applied to the Baghdad military academy. Poor grades kept him from being accepted

• At age 19 Saddam took part in a 1956 coup against King Faisal II, which failed.

• A year later he took part in an attempted assassination of Prime Minister Abdul Karim Qassim on behalf of Ba’ath Party. Finding failure Saddam, at age 22 flees to Syria and later Egypt

• Spending two years at the Cairo University of Law, Saddam returned to Iraq and married his cousin, Sajida with whom he had five children with. One Qusay would command the Republican Guard and Secret Police and another, Uday controlled the media

The Rise of the Last Strongman of Baghdad

• From 1969-1979 Saddam Hussein served as Vice President, becoming well known to the lower classes as he came from their ranks

• Nationalized the Western controlled oil fields, bringing in astonishing wealth which he used to finance a nation wide literacy project with mandatory attendance. Literacy rates are male: 84.1% female: 64.2% (2000 est.)

• Also financed public schools, roads, public housing and hospitals. In fact he created a the leading public healthcare service in the entire Middle East

• For his contribution to his country he received a UNESCO award

• In 1979 when the president resigned, Saddam immediately assumed control and sought to ensure a stable Iraq

• Thanks to his appointment of family members to important offices and acquisition of land he gained exceptional power over Iraq

• Following this, Saddam purged his government of suspected traitors in a fashion similar to Joseph Stalin

• 1980 Iran declares intention to export its revolution• Iraq goes to war in response to quell Shiite population, due to

USSR support through North Korea for Iran the USA sends arms to balance the fight

• Kurdish people revolt once more but Saddam unleashes a series of deadly gas attacks

• During this time Saddam uses secret police (Special Security Organization) to further consolidate power and quell any Kurdish threats by eliminating all possible leaders

• 1981 Iraq begins developing nuclear technology, foiled by a surgical Israeli strike

• Increases the size of the military exponentially, bringing Iraq to have the third largest army in the world with thousands of tanks, SCUD missiles, chemical weaponry and by 1987 expands army to 955,000 soldiers

• 1988 a ceasefire with Iran is proclaimed, ending the mutually destructive conflict which had become a virtual stalemate and begun devastating the cities and male portion of the country

• On the home front Saddam pursues a Western styled law system,(using the traditional Sharia law only in personal injury cases), allows women to enter higher level government positions and places in the general workforce, allows intermarriage between different religious/tribal groups and promotes a higher education for all (especially women)

• Liberal policies regarding the expansion of the role of women led Iraq to be the first Arab nation to treat women in a more equal way to men

• Saddam furthered Iraqi nationalism by recalling the power and glory of ancient Mesopotamia, the so called “cradle of civilization” and its role in the world. (launched many archeological efforts)

• During this time Saddam also developed a personal cult around himself, similar to that of Adolf Hitler and thousands of statues, murals and posters were erected in his honor. Displays himself as a devout Muslim, Bedouin, modern leader and at times even wore traditional Kurdish dress

• Thanks to Saddam’s actions Iraq becomes stable and suffers no more coups, with only a few incidents with Kurdish separatists over the years

• For much of the Iraqi population the standard of living rose thanks to the social programs instituted by Saddam

• Saddam took Iraq from being a relatively weak nation being used as a pawn by foreign powers to nearly a superpower to rival the United States itself

• Became a role model for Arabs everywhere as it could oppose Western powers with success

• As a result of Western influences in the region, Saddam takes a comparatively anti-Western stance in foreign relations, believing his once allies were trying to hinder his nation’s development for fear of competition

• American involvement with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) leads Saddam to believe Kuwait (base of OPEC) is was “dumping” the oil markets to prevent Iraq from rebuilding its war torn economy

• Iraq then resolves to claim its “19th province” and sends thousands of troops, beginning what Saddam called, “The mother of all battles”

Defeat• Following Saddam’s refusal to the United Nation’s to leave Kuwait, the United States

with support from Great Britain and France to a much lesser extent launches operation Desert Shield (1990)

• When Iraq still refuses to comply and begins launching SCUD missiles into Israel and Saudi Arabia in hopes of bringing other anti-Western Arab nations into a coalition, President George Bush Senior launches operation Desert Storm (1991)

• Within six days the Iraqi army goes from having 955,000 soldiers to barely 350,000• Saddam recalls the elite Republican Guard to maintain his hold on the country• Iraq signs a ceasefire and agrees to dismantle its stockpiles of SCUDs and weapons of

mass destruction, as well as weapon inspections from the UNSC• By 1992 Iraq still had massed stockpiles and as a result UN economic sanctions took

hold, hurting the Iraqi economy• 1998 Saddam had mixed reactions to weapons inspectors, sometimes aiding them and

other times opposing them. UN Inspector Richard Butler though accused Iraq of not allowing proper inspections which was followed by four days of aerial attacks from US and UK strike craft against military and governmental targets

The Last Straw• Relations on the international stage remained much

like the pattern of the year of 1998• Iraq became very anti-Western proclaiming the Arab

people would strike America on its own soil and as a result was a symbol for Arab resistance to the evils of the West

• The West pursued policies that wished to have a regime change in Iraq

• Following September 11th ,2001 Saddam was regarded as a hero of the Arab world as many said his actions inspired and facilitated the attacks. Some reports say his nation provided training to Al Qaeda fighters

• US led invasion of Iraq followed in 2003, justified by Iraq’s refusal to allow full weapon inspections, aide to Al Qaeda and treatment of the Kurds

• Within 21 days the Iraqi government fell and its military was scattered, symbolized on April 9 when US forces toppled a statue of the dictator in Baghdad

• Saddam eluded capture until December 13th of the same year when US forces found him hiding near his birthplace

• December 30th Saddam and several of his chief advisors were hanged for crimes against humanity in the al-Dujail trials

April 9th Firdos Square, Central Baghdad

The Aftermath of the Regime• Although the US required only a small force to defeat the Iraqi military, they were

not afforded the manpower needed to occupy and secure the country for the long term, somewhat rectified by the Surge

• This allowed many groups to take up arms and unleash waves of violence. Many policies such as intermarriage between tribes and religious sects have been outlawed de facto as tribal wars erupted

• Sunnis and Shiites now battle each other and themselves for control, as well as Al Qaeda and Iranian insurgents

• Mass graves were uncovered by US forces, leftover from the Kurdish and Shiite revolts

• Economic sanctions were lifted, allowing imports and exports to flourish bringing in fresh technology now available for all

• Democratic constitution written and now followed, although there are many issues surrounding parliament

• Country is now very unstable, especially with the US forces withdrawing • Mass influx of foreign money was needed to rebuild schools, roads, etc

Why Did Iraq Go Down the Path to Dictatorship?

• Long history of autocratic rule under satraps and sultans• Interactions with liberal Britain caused much resentment toward everything British• Mostly poor rural nomads and farmers• Corporations that were allowed to develop were bought out by foreigners. Example:

Western-owned Iraq Petroleum Company• Low education• Political realm allowed only the harsh and power hungry to survive• Saddam Hussein created a totalitarian state that improved most people’s lives and

had relative stability until the Gulf Wars• Resistance to Saddam’s regime was quickly dismantled and dissidents lived in fear

Is Iraq Better off Now?In Power• Promoted higher education, and

social programs to create a better quality of life

• Iraq had become a major player on the world stage

• Created a modern law system that recognized women

• Most of Iraq enjoyed peace• Thousands of Kurds and Shiites

were butchered during uprisings• Shiite majority banned from

political office

Following Coalition Occupation

• Economic sanctions lifted, allowing influx of Western goods

• Democracy installed• Kurds and Shiites enjoy more power

now, former has some autonomy• Without Saddam’s police and

soldiers violence is present everywhere

• Country is tearing itself a part because of tribal and religious beliefs

• War torn

Bibliography

• Haj, Samira. “Iraq.” World Book Advanced. World Book, 2010. Web. 10 Nov. 2010

• “Iraq.” CIA The World Fact Book. Central Intelligence Agency, Nov 9. 2010. Web November 10. 2010

• CBC. “Iraq Background.” CBC News. Canadian Broadcasting, April 8 2010. Web. Nov 11. 2010

• Thomason, Robert E and Joshua Partlow. “A Dictator's Arc of Power Ends in Utter Ignominy.” Washington Post Foreign Service. Washington Post. December 31. 2006. Web November 10. 2010

• Karsh, Efraim and Inara Rautsi. Saddam Hussein: a political biography. Great Britain. Futura Publications 1991. Print