Saddam Hussein: From Revolutionary Aspirations to Dictatorial Rule

Saddam Hussein, a figure of immense controversy and lasting impact, dominated Iraqi politics for over three decades. His life was a complex tapestry of revolutionary aspirations, brutal authoritarianism, and a relentless pursuit of power. To understand Saddam Hussein's legacy, it's crucial to examine his background, his rise to power, his policies, and the factors that contributed to his enduring, albeit divisive, presence in the Arab world.

Early Life and Education

Born on April 28, 1937, in the village of Al-Awja, near Tikrit, Iraq, Saddam Hussein had a difficult childhood. His father, a shepherd, disappeared before his birth, and his older brother died of cancer shortly after. His mother, deeply affected by these losses, struggled to care for him. At the age of three, Saddam was sent to Baghdad to live with his uncle, Khairallah Talfah. Years later, he returned to Al-Awja to live with his mother and stepfather, but after experiencing abuse, he fled back to Baghdad to live with Talfah.

Under the guidance of his uncle, Saddam attended a nationalistic high school in Baghdad. After secondary school, he studied at an Iraqi law school for three years, dropping out in 1957 at the age of 20 to join the revolutionary pan-Arab Ba'ath Party, of which his uncle was a supporter. During this time, Saddam apparently saw himself as a secondary school teacher.

Entry into Politics and the Ba'ath Party

Saddam's affiliation with the Ba'ath Party was significantly influenced by his familial connection to Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr and other leading Ba'athists through his uncle. The pan-Arab nationalism of Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt profoundly influenced young Ba'athists like Saddam.

In 1959, Saddam was recruited to participate in a plot to assassinate then-President Abd al-Karim Qasim. During the ambush, Saddam began shooting prematurely, disorganizing the whole operation. Qasim's chauffeur was killed, and Qasim was hit in the arm and shoulder. Saddam fled to Syria and then Egypt, where he continued his study of Law at Cairo University.

Rise to Power Within the Ba'ath Party

Following the Ramadan Coup of 1963, which overthrew Qasim, Saddam returned to Iraq. He was imprisoned in 1964 due to concerns about his political aspirations. After escaping prison in 1967, Saddam was on a mission to reunite the traditional Ba'ath party. In 1968, Ahmed Hassan Al-Bakr took power with Hussein's help, who became his deputy. By 1976, Hussein had risen to General of Iraq's armed forces, effectively the enforcer of the Al-Bakr government.

On July 16, 1979, Saddam forced Al-Bakr out of the presidency due to disagreements surrounding Al-Bakr's political policies, namely the unification of Iraq and Syria. Instead of fading into obscurity under this unification, Hussein instead assumed the presidency and quickly tried and executed many who he saw as his political enemies.

Policies and Governance

During his time as vice president, Saddam nationalized the Iraq Petroleum Company, diversified the economy, introduced free healthcare and education, and supported women's rights. He also presided over the defeat of the Kurdish insurgency in the Second Iraqi-Kurdish War and signed the Algiers Agreement with Iran in 1975, thereby settling territorial disputes along the Iran-Iraq border.

Saddam's regime aimed to diversify the Iraqi economy beyond oil. The oil revenue benefited Saddam politically. He implemented a national infrastructure campaign that made progress in building roads, promoting mining, and developing other industries. Electricity was brought to nearly every city in Iraq, and many outlying areas.

In 1980, Saddam's government granted women full suffrage and the right to run for office. By the late 1970s and into the 1980s, women in Iraq held significant roles in society, accounting for 46% of all teachers, 29% of doctors, 46% of dentists and 70% of pharmacists. Women also constituted 40% of the civil service at one point in the 1980s. Legal reforms were enacted to grant equal rights in marriage, divorce, inheritance, and child custody, and Iraqi women could pass citizenship to their children even if married to non-Iraqis.

Consolidation of Power and Authoritarian Rule

Upon taking office as president in 1979, Saddam purged rivals within his party. He established a powerful security apparatus, which included both Ba'athist paramilitary groups and the People's Army, and which frequently used torture, rape, and assassination to achieve its goals.

Saddam was notable for using terror against his own people. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International issued regular reports of widespread imprisonment and torture. Saddam's regime brought about the deaths of at least 250,000 Iraqis and committed war crimes in Iran, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia.

Wars and Conflicts

Saddam's presidency was marked by a series of wars and conflicts that had devastating consequences for Iraq and the region.

Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988)

In 1980, Saddam ordered the invasion of Iran, purportedly to capture Iran's Arab-majority Khuzestan province, and end Iranian attempts to export its Islamic Revolution to the Arab world. With the support of other Arab states, the United States, and Europe, and with major financial support from the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Saddam became "defender of the Arab world" against a revolutionary, fundamentalist Shia Iran. The war ended in a stalemate after eight years, with immense human and economic costs for both countries.

Invasion of Kuwait (1990) and the Gulf War (1991)

Later, he accused his former ally Kuwait of slant-drilling Iraq's oil reserves and subsequently invaded the country in 1990. This ultimately led to the Gulf War in 1991, which ended in Iraq's defeat by a United States-led coalition. In the war's aftermath, Saddam's forces suppressed the 1991 Iraqi uprisings launched by Kurds and Shias seeking regime change, as well as further uprisings in 1999.

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The 2003 Invasion of Iraq

In 2003, a US-led coalition invaded Iraq, incorrectly accusing him of developing weapons of mass destruction and of having ties with al-Qaeda. Coalition forces toppled Saddam's regime and captured him.

The Anfal Campaign and the Chemical Attack on Halabja

In 1988, as the war with Iran ended in a stalemate, he ordered the Anfal campaign against Kurdish rebels who had sided with Iran. The Anfal campaign was a campaign that took place during the war against the Kurdish people and many others in Kurdish regions of Iraq led by the government and headed by Ali Hassan al-Majid. On March 16, 1988, the Kurdish town of Halabja was attacked with a mix of mustard gas and nerve agents, killing between 3,200 and 5,000 people, and injuring 7,000 to 10,000 more, mostly civilians.

Capture, Trial, and Execution

During his trial, Saddam was convicted by the Iraqi High Tribunal of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging. On December 30, 2006, Saddam was hanged, despite his request to be shot.

Legacy and Divisive Image

A polarizing and controversial figure, Saddam dominated Iraqi politics for 35 years and was the subject of a cult of personality. In the eyes of many Arabs, Saddam Hussein, the former dictator of Iraq, was a true leader who stood up to Western imperialism, the Israeli occupation of Palestine and foreign intervention in the region. Conversely, many Iraqis, particularly Shias and Kurds, perceive him as a tyrant responsible for acts of repression, mass killing and other injustices. Human Rights Watch estimated that Saddam's regime was responsible for the murder or disappearance of 250,000 to 290,000 Iraqis.

To many, the economic and political chaos unleashed by the invasion lionised Saddam and his legacy more than ever. Saddam embodied the image of the strongman who stood up to the US, Israel, and Iran - all the traditional ‘baddies’ in the [regional] narrative. This narrative deepened after the 2003 invasion as a way to be against the occupation and order that emerged. The fetishisation of Saddam was a backlash against what happened.

Saddam also provided thousands of Palestinians refuge in Iraq and gave them equal rights to Iraqi citizens at a time when Palestinian refugees in other Arab countries lived in dilapidated refugee camps and had limited access to employment, healthcare and education. With a special status, Palestinians in Saddam’s Iraq were eligible for state jobs, free education and state housing.

Furthermore, the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, Saddam’s execution in 2006 on the day of Eid al-Adha, the country’s subsequent multi-layered decline, and the outbreak of sectarian violence, political instability and rampant corruption under American occupation erased many wrongs committed by the Iraqi dictator from Arab memory.

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