CHAPTER 7
“Saddam is Iraq: Iraq is Saddam”
1
(Until Operation Iraqi Freedom)
Jerrold M. Post
2
and Amatzia Baram
3
Introduction
Operation Iraqi Freedom ended the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein in
the Spring of 2003 even though the Iraqi leader may still be alive and in
hiding. Identified as a member of the “axis of evil” by President George W.
Bush, Saddam Hussein’s Iraq posed a major threat to the region and to
Western society. Saddam is believed to have doggedly pursued the
development of weapons of mass destruction, despite U.N. sanctions
imposed at the conclusion of the 1991 Gulf War. To deal effectively with
Saddam Hussein required clear understanding of his motivations,
perceptions, and decision-making as well as his Iraqi strategic culture.
Political Personality Profile
Saddam Hussein, the former president of Iraq, has been characterized
as “the madman of the Middle East.” This pejorative diagnosis was not
only inaccurate but also dangerous. Consigning Saddam to the realm of
madness could have misled decision-makers into believing he was
unpredictable when in fact he was not. An examination of the record of
Saddam Hussein’s leadership of Iraq for the past 34 years reveals a
judicious political calculator, who was by no means irrational, but was
dangerous to the extreme.
Saddam Hussein, “the great struggler,” has explained the extremity of
his actions as president of Iraq as necessary to achieve “subjective
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