Kristi+R

The Story of a Blood Thirsty Ruler Born and raised in a small town with a mother and a step father, sent away to live with your uncle. Attended primary and secondary school even a law school for three years, join a nationalist party. Become president of the country. All of this work for what? So that when your sixty- six you can be hung. Saddam Hussein, law student, teacher, secretary, deputy, deputy chairman, president, murderer. Born and raised in a town called Al-Awja, to a family of shepherds. His mother named him Saddam meaning “One who confronts,” this is ironic knowing how the rest of his life is to later play out. His father left the picture six months before Saddam was born. Saddam was sent to live with his uncle until he was three, when returning his mother remarried. His new stepfather treated him harshly, seven years later he moved back in with his uncle. It was here that he had learned so much about the Iraqi military. He attended a nationalistic high school in Baghdad, later studying Iraqi law for three years. In 1957, now twenty years old, he dropped out of college and joined the revolutionary Arab Ba’ath Party. To support himself, during this time, he was a secondary school teacher. In 1959 Saddam was involved in the unsuccessful attempt of assassination of Qassim (Cronin, 7.) The start of this power hungry thirty- three year old had started his rise to power in Iraq. By 1963 the Ba’ath party overthrew Qassim. It is here that Saddam Hussein would have his first real contact with the United States CIA (Central Intelligence Agency), John F. Kennedy helped the Ba’ath party seize power. At this time Saddam held the groups position of secretary. In 1968 he participated in a bloodless overthrow of Abdul Rahman. July 22, 1969 while Al- Bakr was announcing his successors Saddam, now the deputy, claimed to have found sixty- eight members that allegedly were disloyal, or spies, they were removed from the room one by one. Saddam congratulated those that were still seated in the room for their loyalty. Of the sixty- eight that were taken out twenty- two of them were executed for treason. This just beginning of the pointless executions he committed. Also, he was now the deputy chairman of the Ba’athist Revolutionary Command Council. Here, Saddam said that he had never forgotten the tensions within this first government. It was because of these tensions that he promoted unity in the Ba’ath party, he also made sure to remain in power to maintain his social stability. 1969 Saddam was the main motivation behind the party. During late sixty’s and early seventy’s the second in command had been building his reputation as an effective, progressive politician. Hussein was moving up even further in the ranks, he was taking it upon himself to strengthen “his” party by addressing the country’s problems on the home front; this would lead to more followers. While gaining all of this power Saddam watched over the modernization of the Iraqi economy, including the production of a strong security devices to prevent himself and his group from being overthrown. He was also followed the administrators of state welfare and development programs, this too gained him a lot of publicity. Saddam had his eyes now set on a mew topic was sure to get him some much needed publicity, Iraq ’s oil. June 1, 1972 Saddam oversaw the international oil interests, within a year the oil prices rose dramatically, the skyrocketing revenues allowed Saddam to expand his interests and sights for his plans. Within just another few years Iraq was providing social services, he created the campaign “Compulsory Free Education in Iraq ” also under his government he established free schooling up to the highest education levels. He was also now supporting families of soldiers, allowed free hospitalization for everyone, and gave subsidies to farmers. Iraq with his ruling created one of the most modernized public- health systems in the Middle East. This earned Saddam Hussein an award from the United Nations. Rising in the army led the already powerful Saddam even more power hungry. In 1976, Hussein was promoted to the position of general in the Iraqi armed forces; this led to him becoming the leader of the government faster and faster. Al-Bakr was now increasing in age not being able to execute his duties any longer Saddam soon started taking on more and more of his roles. 1980 he led a war against Iran, over the religious differences between the Shi’ite and Sunni Muslims, during this time also attacking the Kurdish rebels with chemical weapons. By 1990 he invaded Kuwait but was defeated and forced to retreat. As a punishment he was forced to accept inspections from the United Nations, this was in order to ensure the destroying of all the chemical weapons. Then following in 1993 more military strikes came around when he violated the peace terms of the Gulf War. Action toward the behavior of Saddam did not come until 1998; Britain led air strikes against military targets. Finally after countless meaningless executions the United States finally took a stand on the situation. 2002 President George Bush Sr. identified Iraq as an “axis of evil” and began the calling to oust Saddam. In September, Bush addressed the UN, challenging them to enforce their resolutions against Iraq ; otherwise the US would have to do things on their own. November the United Nations held a meeting and decided to impose a tough new arms inspection on Iraq. With this they would have a new clean cut definition of with counted as a “material breach.” November twenty- sixth the plan went into action, Hussein cooperated seeming unfocused on anything in particular. January 2003 the United Nations announced that “ Iraq appears not to have come to a genuine acceptance, not even today, of the disarmament that was demanded of it.” By March, the US had 250,000 soldiers and Britain had 45,000 soldiers ready for war. March 17, Bush gave Hussein the ultimatum to leave to country in forty- eight hours or face invasion. March 19, the US and Britain declared war on against Iraq and began invading the country. April ninth through the fourteenth the US took control of the government and all significant force against the troops had stopped. [|The Iraqi people had had enough] they knew now that they wanted and needed a new government (Blix, 2). Hiding in an eight foot hole nine months after the war had begun Hussein was found. Now the only thing left to do was wait for the [|trial] October 2005. By November he was sentenced to death, for the killing of 148 Shi’ites in Dujail. December 28, Saddam was turned back over to an Iraqi appellate, the execution was held two days later. [|His last stand] was on the platform of the gallows with a noose around his neck, guards and witnesses taunting and mocking him. Overthrowing Saddam was the right thing to do, the morals that he had, or lack there of, were not what is needed in the world today. Killing over 148 people at a single time should be stopped, researching this man show a lot of the things that he has done inappropriate, and often times to the extreme, solely because he wanted to be in power. The man started out on the right track and then severely swerved when entering into the Ba’ath party. "Removing Saddam Hussein was the right decision early in my presidency, it is the right decision now, and it will be the right decision ever (Bush, 1)." Works Cited "Biography of President Saddam Hussein President of the Republic of Iraq ." 16 Nov 2004 1-3. 15 Apr 2008 . Blix, "Saddam Hussein." (2005) 1-2. 15 April 2008 . Cronin, Nick. "Saddam Hussein." (2004) 1-19. 18 Apr 2008 . "Saddam_nusse." 07 May 2008 . __ Saddam's Trial __. Film. YouTube, < http://youtube.com/watch?v=J7fBx4ukUN4& feature=related> 2006. __ Taking Down Saddam. __ Film. YouTube,  2006.