Source: Newsweek/ January 14, 1991 issue, pp.

16-19 More than a Madman

Empires forged by the sword need their heroes. If Saddam Hussein is a new Hitler in George Bushs eyes and a reincarnation of King Nebuchadnezzar, then that means he is becoming a regional conflict into the confrontation of the West. Arrayed against him are the Big Four, including about half of the U.S. Army forces trained to take on the Warsaw Pact in Europe. He appears willing to cut off his lines of retreat, and in the process he is gambling his own life and the lives of his people, as well. Whatever is said by the Iraqi dictator, it cannot be argued, even if the whole West would tell that he lacks valor or determination. But if these traits wouldnt be present in the man of Saddam, it would be very fatal in his own sky-scraping ambition. Born in 1937 into an illiterate peasant family from a barren village near the northern Iraqi town of Tikrit, he knew deprivation even before he was born. From an abusive stepfather he learned how to carry grudge. An admired uncle with a pro-Nazi past taught him to hate the countrys British overlords. As an overaged secondary-school student in Baghdad in the mid-1950, he found himself drawn to the Arab nationalism sweeping the region, thus developing a taste for political intrigue. It is clearly seen that his environment has changed his perspective allthroughout. Saddams essential style was already clear. He took risks. He was ruthless: in 1958, he reportedly murdered a Kassem supporter, a man who happened to be his brother-in-law. In 1963, after the period of exile in Cairo, he began his rise in his party. He did propaganda work and organized secret police forces. From those events, he then seems to have been a real ruler. Yes, there may be some tales about him exercising internal terror. What we never knew is that he had made several contributions on the grounds of West. Our nation has a message, he once proclaimed. That is why it can never be an average nation. Throughout history our nation has either soared the heights or fallen into the abyss through the envy, conspiracy and enmity of others. With those words, it is clear that Saddam also envisions for his own regime. Iraqs copious oil revenues have allowed him to assemble the Arab worlds largest military machine, and at the same time to achieve a surprising degree of modernization. Housing standards are improved beyond comparison with the mud hut Saddam himself grew up in. the country has a network of new roads. There is less hunger. Illiteracy is down more than half when he came to power. For all his brutality in the political realm, Saddam has relaxed some traditional Muslim strictures. Iraqi artists have given freedom, and they get to hang their works in state-owned galleries. In contrast to Saudi Arabia, where women are forbidden even to drive cars, Iraqi women are guaranteed equal pay for equal work and enjoy paid maternity leave. Saddam paid

a heavy price to Iran due to the Gulf War to help them recover. To the Western governments, Saddam is a master of manipulation. Before seizing Kuwait, he managed to secure arms and support from Washington, despite his human-rights abuses and chemical weapons. Since then, he has continued to lure western leaders to Baghdad with offers to talks and hostage releases. He awakened the desire of every Arab soul for a glorious Arab stand. His combative tone awakened the Arab souls longing to respond to his nations enemies with language not used for a long time. The willingness for the first time to sacrifice Western lives might suggest to Arabs how powerful they might become with the act in concert. He brought a big sense of social proactivity between his people. Saddam Hussein would then, in a sens, have won his gamble- for his kindred if not for himself. As Superman once said, With great power comes great responsibility. As f or Saddam, strong leadership means fulfillment of destiny.