How Did Saddam Hussein Impact The World

The Central Intelligence Agency is responsible for using human intelligence to analyze information on National Security all around the world. In 1963, the CIA felt that Abd al-Karim Qasim was a threat, so they [CIA agents] organized a coup that, with the help of Saddam Hussein, overthrew Qasim. In 1979, Saddam Hussein was appointed from Secretary of The Regional Command to President of Iraq. Saddam Hussein was one the most persuasive and influential leaders Iraq has seen because of how he rose to power, what contributions he made to Iraq, and the threat of chemical weapons which greatly impacted the world.

Saddam was born on April 28, 1937. At age 3, he was sent to Baghdad to live with his uncle whose politics would greatly influence
Saddam. Saddam became president of Iraq in 1979, but he has been involved in politics since 1957. When he [Saddam] was 20 years old, he joined the Ba’ath party “Whose ultimate ideological aim was the unity of Arab states in the Middle East”(“Early Life” Biography.com). Abd al-Karim Qasim was Iraqi Prime Minister before Saddam rose to power. On October 7, 1959 “...he [Saddam] was part of a CIA-authorized six-man squad tasked with assassinating then Iraqi Prime Minister Gen. Abd al-Karim Qasim”(“Saddam Key in Early CIA Plot”, Global Policy Forum). The attempted assassination was not a success. In 1963, the CIA organized a coup that overthrew Qasim, marking the beginning of Saddam's road to power.

The CIA saw Abd al-Karim Qasim as a threat, so they organized a coup in 1963 that overthrew him after their failed attempted assassination in 1959. The end of Qasim’s rule was where it all began for Saddam. In 1964, he was arrested for the attempted assassination of Qasim. “While in prison, however, he remained involved in politics, and in 1966 was appointed Deputy Secretary of the Regional Command”(Saddam Hussein Biography). Shortly after, he escaped prison and fled to Egypt, where he went to law school. Saddam returned from exile in 1968 when his cousin Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr became President. However, “In 1979, when al-Bakr attempted to unite Iraq and Syria, in a move that would have left Saddam effectively powerless, Saddam forced al-Bakr to resign, and on July 16, 1979, Saddam Hussein became President of Iraq”(Saddam Hussein Biography). Saddam would rule Iraq for 33 years before being captured, tried, and executed.

Saddam ruled primarily by fear. Saddam was “a head of state who was indisputably a war criminal, and international fugitive...who survived in power thanks to-not in spite of-the terror he inspired in his people”(Anderson). Saddam was a dictator who took power by force with a little help from the CIA. The people of Iraq were terrified to speak out against him. After a while, Saddam gained enough influence over people, that they began to think that he was a good leader and he was what was best for the country. “Saddam Hussein is our spirit, our hearts, and the air we breathe. If the air goes, we will all die”(Anderson, 3). People believed that if Saddam was not their leader, they would all die.

Despite the way he ruled, Saddam did a lot for Iraq. He modernized Iraq’s infrastructure, health care systems, and industry. Saddam raised social services, education, and farming subsidies. Mokhaled Mukhtar stated that “When he was a young boy growing up in the province of Nineveh, there had only been two secondary schools, but now there were two hundred” (Anderson, 15). In 1973, Iraq suffered from a major energy crisis. But, just before the crisis, Saddam had nationalized Iraq’s oil industry, which brought in huge profit for Iraq (Biography.com). However, during his Presidency, Saddam and his Ba’ath party frequently executed their political rivals and enemies, and used rape and torture to get what they wanted. Saddam Hussein was responsible for the modernization of Iraq. But, he was also responsible for hundreds of killings.

On September 11, 2001, there was terror attack on the World Trade Center.
This attack caused the United States to start the War on Terrorism. President George W. Bush felt that Saddam Hussein had become a threat to the United States, and the world due to the start up of a chemical weapons program. In 1980, Saddam Hussein started war with Iran which “...was marked by indiscriminate ballistic-missile attacks, extensive use of chemical weapons…”(“Iran-Iraq War). This war was proof that Iraq did indeed possess chemical weapons. On March 3, 2003, President Bush declared war on Iraq. “If we do not defeat these enemies now, we will leave our children to face a Middle East overrun by terrorist states and radical dictators armed with nuclear weapons” (President George W. Bush). Kenneth Pollack stated “In our case, the ugliest of things would be to hide our heads in the sand while Saddam Hussein acquires the capability to kill millions of people and hold the economy of the world in his cruel hands” (Anderson, 28).It is still debated today if the US should have invaded Iraq. George W. Bush stands by his decision and his family rallies behind him. If the United States had not invaded Iraq, where would the world be? At war? Under Saddam’s leadership? At peace? Nobody will know because the former President of The United States of America used his executive power to put an end to Saddam Hussein once and for
all.

Shortly after the American invasion, Saddam went into hiding.
Finding Saddam’s location and capturing him was crucial. “After declaring Saddam the most important of his regime’s 55 most-wanted members, The United States began an intense search for the former leader and his closest advisors” (“Saddam Hussein Captured”). Catching Saddam was a turning point in the war against Iraq. “ On December 13, 2003, U.S, soldiers found Saddam Hussein hiding in a six-to-eight-foot hole”(Saddam Hussein Captured). Saddam’s first trial was held in October of 2005. In November of 2006, Saddam’s second trial was held. “He was found guilty of crimes against humanity and sentenced to death by hanging” (Saddam Hussein Captured). Saddam was executed on December 30, 2006, putting an end to his regime and neutralizing a potential threat to the
US.

Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq for 24 years. He modernized Iraq, and brought it into war. He was a friend of the United States, and then he was their enemy. Saddam was a heartless dictator that managed to stay in power solely due to the fact that people were too afraid to say no to him, and speak out against him. However, his contributions to Iraq set him apart from other Iraqi leaders. The introduction of a weapons program in Iraq affected people world wide. Iraq had become a threat to the world and it was time to put an end to that threat. In 2003-2006, Iraq’s most persuasive leader was captured, and executed.