The Fall of Saddam Hussein

Saddam Hussein was a suppressive leader who struck fear into the world’s people. His destructive ways radiated as he attempted to eliminate the Kurdish population, nationalize Iraqi oil, and keep his regime in power. Yet, his strict rule helped start and maintain peace between the people of his country despite the many different religions living in the area. He protected his country against a theocratic form of government and for a period of time, Hussein was an ally of the United States. He led a westernized nation in a fundamentalist region of the world. His regime was able to halt al-Qaeda expansion into Iraq, provide civil rights for women, and prevent religious killings over mixed marriages. Although Hussein was a brutal dictator, he was able to unite his country and create a westernized nation during his regime despite the country's Islamic location.

Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was born on April 28, 1937 in Ouja, Iraq, a small village outside of Tikrit. In Arabic, Saddam translates to “The one who confronts”. He was born into a landless, peasant family and his birth father, Hussein ‘Abid al-Majid, passed away around the time of Saddam’s birth. He lived with his mother, Subha Tulfah al-Mussallat, and two siblings, Barzan Ibrahim and Awad Hamed al- Bandar. When his older brother died of cancer, his mother became depressed and wasn’t fit to take care of him. She sent him to Baghdad to live with his uncle, Khairallah Talfah, a Sunni Muslim with a large influence over Saddam. He later moved back to live with his mother and her third husband Hassan Ibriham, or Lying Hassan as many people in the tribe called him. He often would use an asphalt covered stick to beat Saddam, which people think was the reaso...

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...in executed hundreds of Shi’ites, thousands were put in prison, and tens of thousands were forced to flee the country and take refuge in Iran.

Hussein could see that there was a large possibility for a war with Iran, and after weighing the possibilities he deliberately started one. He believed that he could win a war over Iran for a number of reasons. The Iranian military was low on numbers because of Ayatollah Khomeini’s purge of the shah’s officers, and Iran was isolated from the world with no strong allies to support it. Iraq, however, had a stable economy and an organized, strong military. Also, a Shi’ite had attempted to assassinate Tariq Aziz, the Foreign Minister of Iraq and a close friend of Hussein's. The rapid growing power of the Ayatollah and along with the fear of being overthrown by Shi’ites pushed Hussein towards starting the Iran-Iraq War.