HUSSEIN, SADDAM
Hussein, Saddam
(April 28, 1937–)
Iraqi Dictator
H
ussein, a ruthless political survivor,
conducted the 1991 Gulf War against
the United States and its allies in the
United Nations (UN). He was then totally de-
feated in a lightning campaign, one of the
most lopsided military operations ever con-
ducted. Despite this setback, Hussein still re-
mains firmly in power, an international
pariah.
Saddam Hussein was born near the village
of Tiktrit, Iraq, on April 28, 1937. His name,
which means “He Who Confronts,” would cer-
tainly be borne out in his lifetime. Hussein
lost his father shortly after birth and was par-
tially raised by his stepfather, a cruel man
who denied him schooling in favor of forced
farmwork. Hussein then ran away at the age
of 10 and was subsequently raised by a
schoolteacher, a former military officer who
imbued him with a sense of duty and Arab na-
tionalism. Having relocated to Baghdad as a
young man, Hussein joined the secret Arab
Socialist Ba’ath Party in 1957 and entered the
shadowy world of Iraqi politics. He proved
adept at conspiracy and participated in sev-
eral failed coup attempts against the monar-
chy. In 1958, when the king was disposed by
Gen. Abdul Karim Kassen, Hussein next en-
tered into several intrigues against him. This
resulted in his forced exile to Egypt until
1963, following the death of Kassen, when
Hussein returned and resumed his backroom
machinations to power. Once the Ba’ath Party
formally took control of the government in
1969, he was running the state security appa-
ratus, which he wielded brutally to eliminate
enemies and possible rivals. Within a decade
Hussein was in position to take total control
of the country, and as of July 17, 1979, he de-
clared himself president. His rise to power
was marked by a clever understanding of na-
tional politics—and utter ruthlessness toward
all enemies, real or imagined. Having ce-
mented the loyalty of the military and secret
police, and by surrounding himself in office
with family members, his authority seemed
unassailable.
Hussein’s tenure in office was marked by a
unique dichotomy of purpose. He rigorously
instituted compulsory education for all chil-
dren, created wide-ranging health care ser-
vices, and crash-built a modern economy
based on oil and petrochemicals. Literacy in-
creased and national health improved, but
dissent was crushed outright. His draconian
measures succeeded in large measure, and
this otherwise bloody dictator enjoyed a mea-
sure of genuine popularity. But Hussein also
allocated large portions of the public largesse
for military expenditures and was intent upon
making his nation a dominating regional
power. He also kept a tight lid on rebellious
activities tearing at the fabric of Iraqi nation-
hood, executing large numbers of Kurdish
rebels in the north and Shi’ite revolutionaries
in the south. Within 10 years Hussein had ac-
complished all his goals, and Iraq had been
transformed from an impoverished, backward
country into a modern industrial state. Its
armed forces were also among the largest and
best-equipped in the region.
In 1979, the political stability of the Persian
Gulf region was threatened by the rise of the
fundamentalist regime of Ayatollah Khomeini.
Long-standing political and border problems
between Iran and Iraq were further exacer-
bated by religious ones, as the Shi’ites of Iran
and the Sunnis of Iraq have a long and bloody
history of enmity. Hussein, perceiving the Ira-
nians as militarily weak, ordered a full-scale
invasion on September 9, 1980, to secure ad-
ditional territory and oil fields. However, the
Iranians, fired up by militant Islam, fought
back with fanatical bravery and sacrifice,
bringing the Iraqi advance to a halt. A costly
two-year stalemate ensued until May 1982,