Saddam Hussein: An American Obsession

by Andrew Cockburn, Patrick Cockburn

At the outset of the 1991 Gulf War, US leaders resolved that "Iraqis will pay the price", so long as Saddam Hussein remained in power. This book makes chillingly clear just how terrible that price has been. Eleven years ago Saddam was caught by surprise by the allied attack; his preparations since September 11 show that lessons have been learnt. In a substantial new prologue the authors analyse Saddam's preparations and the terrifying consequences of a military invasion of Iraq.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Politics, Biography, Middle East

Paperback

First published September 1, 2002

About the author

Andrew Cockburn is the Washington Editor of Harper's magazine and the author of many articles and books on national security, including the New York Times Editor's Choice Rumsfeld and The Threat, which destroyed the myth of Soviet military superiority underpinning the Cold War. He is a regular opinion contributor to the Los Angeles Times and has written for, among others, the New York Times, National Geographic and the London Review of Books.

Reviews

[Анна · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Ali Hassan al-Majid, the cousin of Saddam later notorious for using chemical weapons against the Kurds, says to [Saddam] unctuously,

‘What you have done in the past was good. What you will do in the future is good. But there’s this one small point. You have been too gentle, too merciful.’

‘Yes, that’s true. People have criticized me for that,’ replies Saddam.
‘But this time I’ll show no mercy.’”

If only I were alive then, in 1979, to have swallowed his children right then and there.
Rest in Janna, King. 💯