How did Saddam Hussein become the president of Iraq?
How did Saddam Hussein become the president of Iraq?
Hilde
New York, New York
Dear Hilde:
It isn't easy to summarize Saddam Hussein's rise to power, so we suggest following the links for a more in-depth perspective.
The current leader of Iraq was born in 1937 to a sheep-herding family in the village of al-Auja in north-central Iraq. At age 10, Hussein moved to Baghdad to live with his uncle, Khayrallah Tulfah. It was Tulfah who first introduced Hussein to politics and instilled in the boy a deep bitterness towards Western imperialism.
After schooling in Baghdad, Hussein joined the Baath Party, a socialist political group committed to Arab nationalism. In 1956, he took part in an unsuccessful coup attempt against King Faisal II of Iraq. Two years later, a non-Baathist group led by General Abdul Qassim (or Kassem) overthrew the king. In 1959, Hussein and other Baath supporters tried to assassinate General Qassim. They failed, so Hussein fled to Syria and then Egypt where he briefly studied law.
In 1963, the Baath Party assassinated General Qassim. Hussein returned to Iraq and became an interrogator and torturer for the Baath Party. The party went through various upheavals, and Hussein was imprisoned, yet eventually, in 1966, he became Secretary-General of the party with the help of his cousin, General Ahmad Hassan al-Bakr. In 1968, Bakr's faction of the Baath Party seized power, and Hussein became Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council. This put him in charge of internal Iraqi security and gave him the number-two position in the Baath Party. By 1973, Hussein was vice president of Iraq under President Bakr.
Throughout the 1970s, Hussein consolidated his power. He placed many of his own family members and people from his hometown in important positions in the Iraqi government and military. Family and tribal connections are crucial in Iraq, and Hussein used these ties to his advantage throughout his political career. He also utilized criminals to torture and murder people he perceived as threats.
In 1979, President Bakr resigned under pressure from Hussein, who then became president. Immediately after his succession, Hussein called a Baath Party meeting and had all of his opposition systematically murdered. As president, Hussein continued to reinforce his power base by enlarging security forces and employing family members in the government. One 1984 analysis indicated that 50 percent of Iraqis were either employed by the government or military or had a family member who was -- thus making the population intimately connected to and dominated by Hussein.
For the past two decades, Hussein has tyrannically ruled Iraq. He started a war with Iran, and his invasion of Kuwait led to the Persian Gulf War. While his abuses are widespread, opposition groups receive little popular support, and uprisings have been minor and easily squelched. Fear of reprisals forced nearly unanimous positive votes for Hussein in the 1995 and 2002 referendums on the presidency. In addition, many in the Middle East seem to believe that if Hussein is deposed the country will break into pieces, leading to more
Kete e nxora nga arkivi i F.B.I per miqte e mi shqipetare
How did Saddam Hussein become the president of Iraq?
Hilde
New York, New York
Dear Hilde:
It isn't easy to summarize Saddam Hussein's rise to power, so we suggest following the links for a more in-depth perspective.
The current leader of Iraq was born in 1937 to a sheep-herding family in the village of al-Auja in north-central Iraq. At age 10, Hussein moved to Baghdad to live with his uncle, Khayrallah Tulfah. It was Tulfah who first introduced Hussein to politics and instilled in the boy a deep bitterness towards Western imperialism.
After schooling in Baghdad, Hussein joined the Baath Party, a socialist political group committed to Arab nationalism. In 1956, he took part in an unsuccessful coup attempt against King Faisal II of Iraq. Two years later, a non-Baathist group led by General Abdul Qassim (or Kassem) overthrew the king. In 1959, Hussein and other Baath supporters tried to assassinate General Qassim. They failed, so Hussein fled to Syria and then Egypt where he briefly studied law.
In 1963, the Baath Party assassinated General Qassim. Hussein returned to Iraq and became an interrogator and torturer for the Baath Party. The party went through various upheavals, and Hussein was imprisoned, yet eventually, in 1966, he became Secretary-General of the party with the help of his cousin, General Ahmad Hassan al-Bakr. In 1968, Bakr's faction of the Baath Party seized power, and Hussein became Deputy Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council. This put him in charge of internal Iraqi security and gave him the number-two position in the Baath Party. By 1973, Hussein was vice president of Iraq under President Bakr.
Throughout the 1970s, Hussein consolidated his power. He placed many of his own family members and people from his hometown in important positions in the Iraqi government and military. Family and tribal connections are crucial in Iraq, and Hussein used these ties to his advantage throughout his political career. He also utilized criminals to torture and murder people he perceived as threats.
In 1979, President Bakr resigned under pressure from Hussein, who then became president. Immediately after his succession, Hussein called a Baath Party meeting and had all of his opposition systematically murdered. As president, Hussein continued to reinforce his power base by enlarging security forces and employing family members in the government. One 1984 analysis indicated that 50 percent of Iraqis were either employed by the government or military or had a family member who was -- thus making the population intimately connected to and dominated by Hussein.
For the past two decades, Hussein has tyrannically ruled Iraq. He started a war with Iran, and his invasion of Kuwait led to the Persian Gulf War. While his abuses are widespread, opposition groups receive little popular support, and uprisings have been minor and easily squelched. Fear of reprisals forced nearly unanimous positive votes for Hussein in the 1995 and 2002 referendums on the presidency. In addition, many in the Middle East seem to believe that if Hussein is deposed the country will break into pieces, leading to more
Kete e nxora nga arkivi i F.B.I per miqte e mi shqipetare
