November 8, 2002. Copyright, 2002, Graphic News. All rights reserved

Key players in Middle East melting pot: Saddam Hussein, Iraq
By Joanna Griffin

LONDON, November 8, Graphic News:  In the eyes of western hawks, no leader can touch Saddam Hussein for the sheer unbridled cruelty of his regime. As revered as he is by the Arab masses, Saddam is reviled by the hawks as the ÒButcher of BaghdadÓ, an evil madman who has admitted his readiness to torture and kill opponents in pursuit of his goal to amass weapons of mass destruction and perhaps even take over other Arab states. But surely a mere madman could not have lasted so long, surviving assassination attempts, air attacks and the Gulf War since becoming president in 1979? Undoubtedly, his durability rests partly on his intolerance of opponents: Saddam has the worldÕs most perfect security apparatus to find and punish them, and Iraqis are the only people who dare not venture an opinion of him. Another factor is his tribal style of rule in which power is kept within an extended clan. Finally, his rise from a poor background through the ranks of the BaÕath Party to become president attests to his sheer willpower. However, although Saddam has played into expectations by stalling over UN weapons inspections, for example, and releasing political prisoners to shore up his peopleÕs support, there is an unpredictable quality about the Iraqi leader. Amid the posturing of recent months he has remained largely silent, and theories abound as to how he might respond to attack. He could turn ballistic missiles on Israel to inflame the conflict into a U.S.-Israel versus Arab war. Or he could use those weapons on allied forces in Kuwait. He could even abscond, though that seems unlikely. Recent reports obtained via CIA satellites have found that Saddam has instructed agents to kill opposition leaders in exile to prevent them from forming a government: a detail that indicates his absolute determination not to relinquish power.
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