Tribute to Saddam Hussein

[Egyptian]

Saddam in Alexandria-Egypt

[Dandelion]

A Norwegian man talking about his childhood in Iraq (his father was an engineer hired by Saddam's regime).

[JohnSmith]

addam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti (Arabic: صدام حسين عبد المجيد التكريتي Ṣaddām Ḥusayn ʿAbd al-Maǧīd al-Tikrītī;[a] c. 1937[b] – 30 December 2006) was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003.[7] A leading member of the revolutionary Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, and later, the Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party and its regional organization the Iraqi Ba'ath Party—which espoused Ba'athism, a mix of Arab nationalism and socialism—Saddam played a key role in the 1968 coup (later referred to as the 17 July Revolution) that brought the party to power in Iraq.

As vice president under the ailing General Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, and at a time when many groups were considered capable of overthrowing the government, Saddam created security forces through which he tightly controlled conflict between the government and the armed forces. In the early 1970s, Saddam nationalized oil and other industries. The state-owned banks were put under his control, leaving the system eventually insolvent mostly due to the Iran–Iraq War, the Gulf War, and UN sanctions.[8] Through the 1970s, Saddam cemented his authority over the apparatuses of government as oil money helped Iraq's economy to grow at a rapid pace. Positions of power in the country were mostly filled with Sunni Arabs, a minority that made up only a fifth of the population.

Saddam formally rose to power in 1979, although he had been the de facto head of Iraq for several years prior. He suppressed several movements, particularly Shi'a and Kurdish movements, seeking to overthrow the government or gain independence,[9] and maintained power during the Iran–Iraq War and the Gulf War. Whereas some in the Arab world lauded Saddam for his opposition to the United States and for attacking Israel[10][11]—he was widely condemned for the brutality of his dictatorship. The total number of Iraqis killed by the security services of Saddam's government in various purges and genocides is unknown, but the lowest estimate is 250,000.

In 2003, a coalition led by the U.S. invaded Iraq to depose Saddam, in which U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair accused him of possessing weapons of mass destruction and having ties to al-Qaeda. Saddam's Ba'ath party was disbanded and elections were held. Following his capture on 13 December 2003, the trial of Saddam took place under the Iraqi Interim Government. On 5 November 2006, Saddam was convicted of charges of crimes against humanity related to the 1982 killing of 148 Iraqi Shi'ites, and was sentenced to death by hanging. His execution was carried out on 30 December 2006.[12]

Why does the Middle East need Strong men to lead them?

[jingorex]

Father of Modern Iraq ,strong man , great president and brave leader (no offence to any Kurd or anyone it's just a way to remember him)

brave leader? interesting.

he scurried away and hid in a hole in the ground with a pile of cash while his military got absolutely decimated.

[Al-Meksiki]

Why does the Middle East need Strong men to lead them?

Someone needs to pick up the pieces and repair the damage left by the fall of the Ottoman Empire

[Egyptian]

brave leader? interesting.

he scurried away and hid in a hole in the ground with a pile of cash while his military got absolutely decimated.

money ? not really .. ya he did hide until he was betrayed , no shame to hide and led resistance but the shame that gulf countries allowed american forces to enter iraq from their countries.

[jingorex]

money ? not really .. ya he did hide until he was betrayed , no shame to hide and led resistance but the shame that gulf countries allowed american forces to enter iraq from their countries.

just about a million dollars in crisp US $100 bills. lol, so much for fighting that petro dollar, eh?

The gulf countries have a lot to be ashamed about, but i guess its also a matter of opinion that they really had much of a choice to 'allow' US forces access.

[jingorex]

Why does the Middle East need Strong men to lead them?

I wouldn't call them Strong.

Brutal perhaps.

The bigger question is why do middle eastern people (for the most part) tolerate being ruled by such brutal despots?

As far back as Islam it seems brutality and cruelty were the go to methods of 'leadership' for the middle east.

[Pony]

RIP I would kiss him on the mouth and not feel gay about it

[adsız]

Saddam was a real hero. But his army and his nation were not as much brave as him.