How Saddam Hussein Came To Dominate Iraq
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- Опубліковано 5 чер 2024
- Iraq in the 20th century encapsulates the history of much of the Middle East. Imperialism, oil, nationalism, political turmoil, modernisation, and even dictatorship. This issue was exacerbated by Saddam Hussein as he set up a tyrannical regime which served himself above his own citizens. This was very different from the role he played in the 1970s as Vice President, where under his stewardship Iraqi society made major advancements, both socially and materially. But from the 1980s onwards, the authoritarian nature of his rule poisoned much of the previous progress. Whilst Saddam’s regime was exceptional in its brutality and oppression, it was nonetheless a continuation of political turmoil that the country experienced ever since the 1920s.
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#Iraq #Saddam #Shia
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Music Used:
Doug Maxwell - Arabian Nightfall (Sting):
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If any of the images or songs are yours, please let me know I will amend them. Please don't report me straight away!
0:00 Intro
1:26 Hashemite Monarchy Period
6:29 Republican Period
10:05 Ba'athists & Saddam Period
Do you think Iraq needs a strong-man ruler?
Modern History Playlist:
ua-cam.com/play/PLiPhmAD3I2Jz6goEJlQ1zh6KkbeBWZ2pP.html
Can you name one arab country that has come out of the 'arab spring' better than it was before the revolutions happened?
None
Honestly given how Iraq 🇮🇶 is now, even with its so-called American style democratic government which is now full of corruption, political and tribal infighting, and decades of impasse while the economic & social conditions are just getting worse. I think Iraq would be better off with a authoritarian government.
@@itsblitz4437 theres some cultures that work with that type of government but when a foreign country comes and imposes its values and cultures on to people that it clearly doesnt work for are you really surprised that all these countries are left in ruins? look at libya the are people in Libya who want gaddafi back
I've met Iraqi Shias, Christians, and even some Kurds who preferred Saddam's rule to the mess Iraq is today. So, I'd say yes to that.
As an Assyrian (Chaldean, Syriac) our history with the modern state of Iraq is very complicated. The state itself rejected us from the beginning, culminating in the Simele Massacre of 1933. The early Baathist policies in the 70s showed a lot of promise and Saddam is even looked at by many Assyrians as a guarantor of stability, who protected the Christians of Iraq due to his secularity. They often point to the many Assyrians he had in his personal entourage (Tariq Aziz, Kamel Hana) and the relative peace in the time. Just thought I’d offer my thoughts as a minority not often discussed.
The opinions of Chaldeans in Michigan don’t count and are immediately dismissed. Go worry about your weed dispensary
@@michaelalek6490 What did I say that was wrong?
I think pan Arabism was exploited in an incorrect manner by politicians who wanted to use it as a rallying power.
@@ajeeli_travels This started before modern Pan-Arabism, as in the case of Simele Massacre.
Too bad at the same time Saddam also abused his power and even oppressed the Kurds
Baghdad was talked about in the 1980s the same way Dubai is talked about today. Modern, stable, economically flourishing, regional headquarters for foreign companies, tourism. It's sad thay the cradle of civilization today is one gigantic shitshow. Power to the Iraqi people inchallah you will rise up again.
The Iraqi people need to stop killing eachother and get it together.. its 2023 they should be on the rise by now.. but they are still in the same position as before. How hard can it be for people to say enough is enough let’s elect a good person and fix this shit
You in mee who you mee senja yayasan nura baby
Iraq was already doing good until saddam came in power and ruined it
Honestly really doubt it, Iraq will be inferior for at least hundred of years , probably forever . Sad reality
Dubai do not colonize.
It's funny because my grandmother was cheering when he was overthrown and talk about how bad he was. Now she talks about all the good he did and that america destroyed her county.
Just like the Russians with the USSR. These people deserve what they get.
Bad is better than worst, that's the whole story people don't understand.
I hope your grandmother rots in hell. The Kurd's blood will not be forgotten.
People in Libya know what she means
Saddam was worse than thugs but he was serial killers including Saddam families who were helped by stood by him and killed or torched ancient Iraqi people.
Could you do a video on Nasser, I hear him mentioned a lot and would like to know more about him
I’d love to, I’m a massive fan of his life story so next yr a full length documentary could be in the making!
I think he did on his video on Egypt and the Suez Canal.
@@HikmaHistory that would be amazing
Hello there Leonardo Davinky I just want to tell you that Jesus loves you and repent of your sins so you can inherit God's kingdom and get the free gift of eternal life
@@itsblitz4437 Hello there I just want to tell you that Jesus loves you and repent of your sins so you can inherit God's kingdom and get the free gift of eternal life
I have to say another great video. I really love your channel because most material in English about the Middle East tends to limit it to a West vs Islam or Israel vs Palestine narrative. It's really cool to be given history about the countries not as a monolith. Thank you again and keep up the great work.
Thanks Shawn!
Which channels are you talking about because there's a lot of great videos about the middle east that are far more detailed than this one here to be honest.
@@kanandadashzade no he could not
@@MA-go7ee m
I just found this channel and I must say well done. There are so many channels that have nice looking videos about cool topics but have horrible narration voice. Your voice is so important and not annoying! Kept me engaged the whole time!
I'm glad to hear that, especially cuz I've been critical of my own voice for so long!
@@HikmaHistory I love videos like this but if there is a bad sounding voice, I will not watch a video, even if it is about something super interesting
A well researched video and chronologically narrated.
Brilliant.. Respect from Kenya,east africa
Just came across your channel great content ty for you hard work
Excellent video! Contained lots of information I did not know about pre-1979 Iraq. Definitely worthy of a sequel, perhaps exploring the impacts of the American Donald Rumsfeld and his cadre. Thank you Hikma
Thanks Chris! In the production of this video I got excited by the prospect of a full length documentary on Saddam… so let’s see what happens next year.
The US were against Baathist Iraq who were the most anti-Western force in the region. The US supported Mustafa Barzani's Kurdish rebellion against Iraq in coordination with Iran and Israel. The US and Israel were displeased when Iran made a deal with Iraq in the Algiers Agreement over the Shatt Al Arab without their prior consultation. Even after the Iranian Revolution with the overthrow of the Shah and the rise of a publicly anti-Western Khomeini, the US were against Saddam's invasion of Iran and even tried sabotaging it. The Reagan government sent arms to Iran starting in 1981. The only reason the US gave some support for Iraq later on was when the tides turned and Iran was about to invade Iraq in summer of 1982, but even then the US still secretly sent more weapons to Iran throughout the war. It was a scandal called Iran-Contra. US diplomatic and intelligence support for Iraq was to prevent a Iranian hegemon as it tried to conquer Iraq. Also, one of Iran's largest arms supplier was the State of Israel for which they remained in secret cooperation against Iraq. Iraq stopped becoming a nuisance to the West in 1991 with the Gulf War that destroyed Iraq's military capability.
@@arabprogressive6971Solid reasoning. Thank you
I would just like to ask one more thing. Do you think it was likely that Iraq possessed the ability to produce WMDs beyond those that were sold to it by the United States?
@@ChrisNoonetheFirst The United States did not sell WMDs to Iraq. The US among other states sold chemicals to Iraq for which Iraq had to process in its chemical weapons program to produce such offensive weapons. The chemical alone is not enough. Iraq was able to accomplish the manufacturing of such weapons because it had the top technical expertise of any Arab country. Iran also obtained chemicals from Western states like Israel, but for whatever reason their offensive chemical weapons program was not like Iraq's. Now could Iraq have gone further beyond simply chemical weapons? Well Iraq was the first Arab country to produce and launch a satellite launch vehicle in 1989 becoming the most advanced third world country in terms of space capability and first in Arab world to have an indigenous space program. This surprised the West because Iraq accomplished this despite the eight year consuming war with Iran that did more harm than good to Iraq's economy. During the war, Iraq proved to have the longest ballistic missile range in the region reaching Iranian cities, which took Israel by surprise as it was demonstrated that the Iraqi threat wasn't just rhetorical, but also militarily real. If Saddam kept the peace, there was real possibility of Iraq surpassing Israel in total military parity as it was basically right up behind it. Now after the Gulf War, Iraq's military capability was decimated followed by the most harsh sanctions in modern history with military-enforced no-fly zone across almost the entire country. UN weapons inspectors found stockpiles here and there, but no WMDs. However, those stockpiles were marked and destroyed. So they didn't have any weapons, but could they have produced such WMDs after Gulf War followed by 10 years of economic and military sanctions as well as international weapons inspection? It's possible as Iraqi technical expertise still existed and Baathist socialist government system that produced them still remained. So if the US ended the sanctions and no-fly zone because they were content that Iraq didn't possess such weapons anymore, could the US trust Iraq not to revert to its ways threatening Western interests in region and Israel? This was a new era. After the Gulf War, the Arab states especially the Gulf monarchies practically welcomed Israel more publicly for the first time. Would Iraq go along with this more Western friendly environment? It seems the West would not risk it because they just didn't trust or like the Baathists because their vision in the region was inherently against their vision for the region.
@@arabprogressive6971 Thank you again for your response. I believe the only minor point of contention I have is a semantic one, and that is that chemical weapons are considered WMDs by some. You are astute to remind me that the trajectory of Iraq's foreign policy could always have changed; in the West we often mistake ourselves to believe such things are set in stone. I appreciate you taking the time to provide so much detail and insight.
Excellent presentation and thank you for this.
your use of interesting footage and your to the point narration made this video very engaging.
keep it up
Thanks Danyal!
Very informative and well done!
As somebody who is in love with the land of Iraq and dreams to live there at least part of my life, thank you for posting history about this country.
why?
Outside of the chaotic and war context, the Middle Eastern countries have the potential to be the most beautiful, scenery wise, history wise and culturally wise
@@AD45 After south western england
@@mrbritannia3833 Doubt that, England is nothing to write home about.
@@AD45most beautiful scenery wise? It's 110° desert most of the time. Culture and history you have an argument. Scenery? No.
Really well done; underrated channel. I look forward to your videos!
Massive year of content coming up!
I have lived in the region for the last 7 years, and am learning a lot watching your videos. Thank you.
I’m glad Magdalena!
Great video as always!
Glad you enjoyed!
Great video. Very informative
As an Iraqi this is a Great video learned a lot from this for sure !!
Thank you Alawi!
Very informative. Well put together and not too long. 👍
Amazing video. Thank you
Glad you liked it!
Thank you for the video ! There's not too many channels that have topics on modern day Islamic world, big ups!
MASHAALLAH another great upload
Thanks for liking!
Great video. I hope you make a video on the Afghan democracy between 2001 and 2021.
the only "Afghan democracy" that ever existed was in the remote Afghan tribal areas where people followed tribal system which is basically the original "democracy", as envisioned by almost all independent tribes or communes before the takeover by state authorities. what the americans brought Afghanistan was not democracy but war lordism, terrorism and the second most corrupt (puppet) regime on the planet that consisted of rapists and drug lords
Thank you so much for going over that period of history with Iraq! I wanted to know and this was formatted extremely well!
Thanks Roberto!
Love that type of videos that gives us insight on the past we do not necesarily know, and therefore helps understand the present.
Very underrated channel
I appreciate that!
@@HikmaHistory ive watched all your videos, they help dispell anti muslim\islam sentiments
This is a topic I have been wondering for a long time
Excellent vid. Thnx bro
Another great channel with great videos. I just subscribed. ❤
Thanks, I have a lot of great content coming up so stay tuned!
very interesting, thank u
Very informative and well-narrated as always! Thank you for your service!
Hello there D.C. I just want to tell you that Jesus loves you and repent of your sins so you can inherit God's kingdom and get the free gift of eternal life
@@joshuarodriguez3025 no thank you 👍
Excellent video 📹 👏
Good overview
Hello there beach boy I just want to tell you that Jesus loves you and repent of your sins so you can inherit God's kingdom and get the free gift of eternal life
This is the story of every leader who rule beyond 15 years.
love your videos
Thanks man!
His hard work paid off- fair play to the lad 👍🏾
Amazing content
Appreciated ✨
Great video
Always informative!
Glad you think so!
Hello there big sarge I just want to tell you that Jesus loves you and repent of your sins so you can inherit God's kingdom and get the free gift of eternal life
@@HikmaHistory Hello there I just want to tell you that Jesus loves you and repent of your sins so you can inherit God's kingdom and get the free gift of eternal life
Amazing video,
Could you tell me whats the name of the song you used in the intro??
Malaysians here.Here during 70s if some muslim to break a fast usually we ate Kurma@Tamar during That time majoriti of our tamar we're imported from Iraq
Keep up the good work! There is a lot of misinformation about this region of the world so thank you shedding light on it.
That is for this. It’s wider view is still a bit complicated but it’s another good one I’ve watched
First time I have seen one of your videos and it was really good! The Middle East is very complicated geopolitically and it is very interesting learning the history as it gives some context and understanding to the regional dynamics especially as a westerner.
Yes it's true he was liberal minded and he was a good friend of india
Welcome and I agree!
Would love it if you could do a video on the West's geopolitical role in the whole of the Middle East after WW1 onwards.
I like the idea but it sounds pretty vague, I would have to give it more thought so I don't just waffle.
In the nineteen twenties Winston Churchill was the British Minister for war. He authorised the use of poison gas by the occupying British forces to put down a Kurdish insurrection. That is ironic because it isn't even an equivalent but different crime than Saddam was hanged for, it is exactly the same crime, against the same people. Winston Churchill died of natural causes and received a State funeral in 1965. Winston Churchill came top in recent poll of the greatest, ever Britons.
If Iraq and Jordan stayed together that would have been interesting.
The story of Saddams son Uday is interesting too
only if you like sadist stories. He was a ruthless spoiled brat, like Hannibal Gaddafi or Nicu Ceasescu. The sons of dictators are seldom nice people.
He was crazy
@@OttomanSultana both
@@farrightsocialistatheist845 Arab, British and USA must have been so much fun screwing these poor people until they don't know who they are, aren't they're from great Persian empire?
@@OttomanSultana Saddam was a nice bloke compared to his mad son Uday
Thank for this, I can't help but picture Ali G when you say certain words though lol. No offence, haha :D
Everyone's dads said they were digging in Iraq, hit Saddam in the head with the shovel, and the following situation happened.
"Saddam is that you?"
"Yeah, it is!"
"Sorry bud, you've gotta come with me.
Still can't believe he was listening to the Dixie Chicks. Weird taste in music.
@@paulraines9635 I've never even heard of them, but something about that name makes me think one of them looks like a girl and talks like a guy, like that Charlie Daniels song was talking about.
Very nice vídeo, I met some Kuwait people in Qatar and asked if the people of there are friends and have good relations with iraqi people. And for my surprise, they told me that this was only a politician war and that they are respectfull to each other.
Very good video, Thanks for sharing from Brazil 🇧🇷
Hello there Thiago I just want to tell you that Jesus loves you and repent of your sins so you can inherit God's kingdom and get the free gift of eternal life
As an American of Iraqi Catholic ancestry. This is not 100% historical accurate. The illegal occupation happened in 1870s when the British took over iraq made a sleazy land called Kuwait from the Ottoman Empire once Turkey was weak straight into world war1 till the Ottoman Empire collapsed and promised Iraqi Catholics/ Orthodox Iraqi Shia and Sunni Muslim and yazidis a a country but instead they back stabbed chaldeans Assyrians syriacs georgians Armenians and other Christians to dirty turks. the Turks killing more then 8 million people between 1880 and 1922 thru rapes assault and battery forced conversion massacres and genocide before the Turks got killed by the British who setup a fake prince hashimite prince from saudia Arabia and invented shitty land called Kuwait. Look up the Greek genocide the hamadan massacres look up the him simile massacre. Read the British betrayal of the Assyrians by yousif manalek.
Kuwait does not exist it's still part of Iraq Since the beginning of time
@@alexcholagh8330 sorry if I ofended Iraqi people, it wasnt my objetive. My sincere apologies
@@joshuarodriguez3025 I am Taoist, not crhistian or muslim, no need to convert me thanks
This is such an interesting video. Iraq hue such interesting history that we don’t normally hear about. Thanks a lot keep posting awesome videos!
My pleasure!
Hi, your audio goes better with 1.25x speed. Good video.
Sakha aleek ya mo3lem.
great content.
How can I find the songs used in this? They’re as intriguing as the video!!
An honest wise leader must unite the citizens of the country
Amazing Video brother, although its kinda sad seeing my country turn from being wealthy and safe to corrupt and dangerous so much so that I had to leave it
Saddam was great 👍🏽
Dangerous and corrupt ? Ur listening to too much western propaganda about Iraq.
@@tj5180 bro i live there 😅
A great work. However, some of the footages don't match the content. For example, please check the video at 12:30. It shows streets of Tehran, while talking about 1970s Iraq.
Out of curiosity, how can you tell?
Very nice video! Btw, I am from Iraq.
It’s the one thing about Iraq that’s always captured my attention, is wondering how different the nation might be today is Faisal II actually had the chance to be a monarch as opposed to the 5 years he reigned without a regent. Would the country be better or worse? Would the Middle East be better or worse? I suppose we’ll never know but one can’t help but wonder
Could you provide your sources for this video ?
0:01 Nasheed or song name please, jazakallah Khair.
13:25 very interesting.
But from around 14 minutes you go in super un-nuanced fast forward mode.
I can't believe you MSA'd Gamal Nasser's name! :D
One thing I remember was a segment on Democracy Now! with an interview of an Iraqi living in Michigan about Islamic State. This was in 2014 when Islamic State had taken over northern Iraq, Mosul and had established itself in North Eastern Syria. The interviewee was saying that in the end, Iraq will survive because throughout its history it always had. He said something towards the end of the interview about religious sectarianism and how extremists such as Islamic State were hijacking religion to split Iraq apart. He said that among the 2003 "Deck of Cards" which the US military used to identify high ranking Iraqi officials with Saddam Hussein being the Ace of Spades, about 25%or so; I can't remember the exact number he said, were Shia. I interpreted this statement that Saddam wasn't out to waging a war on Shia Islam itself throughout his dictatorship but to war on anyone including religious leaders who threatened his power. He may have had religious puritans in his government and the BAATH Party but he was not them. At least to me but if I'm wrong on this then I'm wrong. That's my observation.
This is true!
Yeap, he even married a Shia woman. He had no problems with Shias themselves, only the Iranian backed proxies who wanted to overthrow him and become Iran's puppet state.
The Ba’ath party was actually very secular and hated religion so you’re a bit confused when you say that he may have had puritans in his govt
The great leader that iraq leader will never forget
In the photo of Rashid Ali al-Gaylani (left), There was a another very famous person on the left side of the photo, is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose. Truly a historical picture.
If he Ruled India, It would be above all countries by Now... Fate😢
2:12 That's Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose on Rashid's right, the Indian freedom fighter who also sided with with Germany and Imperial Japan against Britain during World War II.
The intro can also be used to describe Europe/US minus the oil of course
Would like to see a video on The History of the diminishing of The Hashemite Kingdom
The Hussein regime was secular, making life better for the average Iraqi then the us ruined it all
Great documentary! However, the turmoil in the Middle East and Iraq specifically had been over simplified. The West played a major role in many of the coups in Iraq through covert operations, especially during the beginning of the cold war as they foresaw Iraq as a major regional power. The Iraq-Iran war was major disruptor for both countries as they had found out eventually that the West had been secretly supporting both sides to prolong the war. Without the West's direct and indirect interference, Iraq and the Middle East would have been a much better place.
You talk about oversimplification yet you ignored that the USSR also did the same in the middle East .
Let's say all that is true.(and of course some parts of it are true to an extent.)
What if they were left to their own devices? Were there not actors who were reaching out to Big Powers to help them gain control?
And yes....like the other person here says...you think it was only the West that was trying to influence powers in that region?
@@missmiss8359 u all caucasian are warmonger
Firing the entire military, police and intelligence services of a country that effectively checked lslamic terrorism then gathering most of the people who would become the leaders of lS, lSIL, lSIS together in a secure location where they could plan and have classes in guerilla warfare etc really seems pretty intentional
yes, let's ignore our incompetence and start blaming the west
typical high iq brain
no wonder Middle East and Africa become so powerful
The greatest Ruler in Iraq 🇮🇶
Wow had no idea once upon a time UNESCO gave Saddam an award!
city of Detroit gave Saddam the keys to the city.
Do a video on haffez and basher al assad
He was put in by western power to manage their colony, he stopped playing the game and was taken out by the same folks end of story
Take responsibility for your country.
he came into power on his own. The west supported him that's it . His predecessor was a communist sympathiser
yeah stopped playing their game and instead went on the evil tyrant route :p he went to war with iran, kuweit and later set his eyes on saudi arabia
@@owningkoning The evil tyrant is Uncle Sam.
@@owningkoning Iraq's attack on Iran and Kuwait were both greenlighted by USA.
I wish this video was more detailed as a whole.
Under Saddam Hussein & the Baathist Party, Iraq had a very bright & prosperous future. The Baathist Party has always been the key to a truly great future for the people of the Middle East.
The Baathist are the only Party that can unite Shia & Sunni and create a truly great society for the people of the Middle East. It's an idea that should be approached again.
mistake @ 11:14 , Abdul Karim Qassem was not assassinated in 1959, but executed in 1963.
Be afraid of The Almighty Creator. Every one must have to be accountable to Him one day.
One question from an outsider. When - in the first part - the video refers to politically conscious Iraqis who harboured anti-imperialist sentiments, was this an across the board movement? (i.e including Kurds and Arabs, Shias, Sunnis, Christians, Yazidis) Or was it dominated by some faction/s?
Another really great video. After seeing several videos from your series, I only think you miss a deeper analysis on how powerful Iran and Iraq's armies were at the beginning of the 80s. In the case of Iran, as a consequence of Sha’s collaboration with the US military. While Iraq was has also heavily armed by the USSR.
Rest in peace man of God.
This is so sad. People celebrating the destruction of Iraq Syria Libya. Now they want saddam and gudaffi back
Good video! You misssed that Saddam invaded Kuwait though...
Stay away from this channel bcuz its mostly bullsh!t.. the US/CIA hand picked Saddam. they funded, trained and supplied his army with weapons and chemical weapons. which he used on Shia Iraqis and Iranian soldiers in the 8 year stalemate war Saddam initiated, on behalf of his masters in D.C. Saddam told his people the war with Iran was "Jihad" yeah right! when Saddam used the chemical weapons the US provided for him on Iranian soldiers. afterwards the UN drafted a resolution sanctioning Saddam and Iraq's army. over 100 UN member states voted for the resolution but it didn’t pass bcuz the US vetoed the bill. the US stated why it vetoed the bill in a written letter to the UN. the US ambassador to the UN read the letter it said; "Our interests run parallel with that of Baghdad" anyone can fact check everything i just stated..
You only start missing when it's too late ✌️
I thought this was how Saddam Hussein opened a Pizza Hut.
Story of Saddam in a nutshell: An illiterate villager who became a street thug, then rose to power du to his kinship with high status persons.
And he developed Iraq into of the top major power centers in the Middle East, the largest strongest military in Arab world and a significant power player on the world stage with 4th largest strongrest military and developed the country into a modern industrial country who fought Iran 8 years 3 times its size, invaded and annexed Kuwait, fought the USA led coalition into a peace agreement, defeated the foreign armed and trained Kurdish separists 100,000 strong and Shia urban rebel war backed and armed by Iran and west and prepared Iraq to bleed the second USA coalition into defeat even though Iraq was at its most vulnerable desperate weakest position and fought until the end knowing he and his sons wouldn't survive but the victory of his baathist islamic insurgency would happen after his death and would cost the USA and west unimaginable problems and ignite a century of Muslim world being a anti American 😊
Heavy
Rest in Peace Uncle Hussein 🙏
Ala geesi yuu ahaa Iraq wa dhisey somalia dhaqatirka bari jirey 🇸🇴
Mashallah
Now Iraqis are regretting their decision. I completely understand sadddam did some stupid stuff like all other leaders do but that doesn’t allow anyone to go and destroy beautiful country. Love from Pakistan 🇵🇰
No Iraqi regrets Saddam being kicked out. Have you ever talked to an Iraqi before in your life? Why do Pakistanis love murderers like Saddam and Erdogan?
Saddam didn't do stupid things like all other leaders. He committed several genocides, murdering hundreds of thousands of civilians (of his own country). He invaded two neighbours and started wars, killing more than a million people. His son Uday was a mass rapist and murder, he raped and killed thousands of women. I could go on for days. He executed several people of my family (part of 50.000 young feyli kurds he executed) and deported almost a million of my people (feyli kurds). One of his many many crimes.
15:03 He didnt put to death all of the 60 or so accused. I heard that number was lower, 13 people at most were killed. Btw, that entire even is on youtube
Damn I thought the thumbnail was the old Pizza Hutt logo
Great stuff
From the thumbnail at first glance, I was like Saddam and Pizza Hut? Interesting..
Excellent. Very informative. Just two points: First, although you answered and covered the topic “How Saddam Hussein Came To Dominate Iraq”, wouldn’t it be interesting if you do a second part “how Sadam’s domination declined and finally vanished”; exploring the fact that he “died on his own sword”; the tools which had brought him domination, their overuse caused his collapse.
Second, don’t you think it was the particular structure of world order and global balance of power at that period of time that Nasar and Ba’ath movement had the space to flourish? Whereas now that space doesn’t exist and that is why the very organic Arab Spring wasn’t allowed to sprout out.
He didn’t die by his own sword. He died because oil means more than human life. Saddam had firm control over his country even during the initial invasion. Most Iraqis will admit that things were better under Saddam. He may have been ruthless but sometimes that is what’s country needs especially in the Middle East. The nutcases in North Korea have been worse than Saddam and all we’ve done is sanction them and send them aid. There’s a balance of power that needs to be present in that area that we westerners don’t understand and should avoid upsetting.
Thank you! First point, I agree and I'm considering it.
Second point, I don't agree with it - whilst yes the Cold War struggle benefitted Leftist-inclined movements such as Ba'athism, it would be unfair and to be honest undermining of the local Arab role to view it from such a wide lens. Ba'athism & Nasserism's success didn't only come from the fact that it encapsulated popular desires (don't misunderstand me, this was super important). Those two ideologies had infiltrated society in very real, tangible ways - army officers, politicians and educators coming under its influence and subsequently attaining positions of power from which they could enact their ideological vision in a more structure manner than a spontaneous popular uprising. It produced leaders, e.g. Nasser, who could provide direction to the chaotic energy that inherently comes with strong popular desires. Imperialism was still a very real thing in the 1950s & 60s so there was a real external enemy on the ground. At the same time, there was also a post-independent buoyancy which drove society and ideologues alike to ambitious envision a better future.
I could say more but the gist is the answer lays in the historical context of the Arab world (say 1919-1970s) and not in the global developments of the time so much.
Thank you for your convincing rationale on my second point. Well articulated logic.
I wish you had explained the origins of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990 leading to sanctions etc.
Working on a video atm which covers that in much more detail. Out before the end of the year