THE 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL WORLD LEADERS OF ALL TIME

7 The 100 Most Influential World Leaders of All Time 7

In the wake of the September 11 attacks in the United
States in 2001, the U.S. government, asserting that S·addām
might provide terrorist groups with chemical or biological
weapons, sought to renew the disarmament process.
While S·addām allowed UN weapons inspectors to return
to Iraq in November 2002, his failure to cooperate fully
with the investigations frustrated the United States and
Great Britain and led them to declare an end to diplomacy.
On March 17, 2003, U.S. president George W. Bush ordered
S·addām to step down from offi ce and leave Iraq within 48
hours or face war. When S·addām refused to leave, U.S. and
allied forces launched an attack on Iraq on March 20.
The Iraq War
broke out with an
assault by U.S. aircraft
on a bunker complex
in which S·addām was
thought to be meet-
ing with subordinates.
Although the attack
failed to kill the
Iraqi leader, subse-
quent attacks directed
against S·addām made
it clear that eliminat-
ing him was a major
goal of the invasion.
On April 9, the day
Baghdad fell to U.S.
soldiers, S·addām fl ed
into hiding. He took
with him the bulk of
the national treasury
and was initially able to
evade capture by U.S.

S·addām H·ussein, following his
capture by U.S. forces in Tikrīt, Iraq,
Dec. 14, 2003. U.S. Department
of Defense