Understading Iraq and the Region: Iraqi Perspective

Born on April 28, 1937, in Tikrit, the seat of Saladdin Province where he finished his primary school.

Married, with five children: two boys and three girls.

Joined the Arab Ba' th Socialist Party (A.B.S.P.) in 1956.

Arrested for six months over the years 1958-1959 for his political activities against the regime at the time while he was a secondary school student in Baghdad. Before completing his study at the secondary school he took part in the revolutionary operation against the dictator Abdul Karim Qassim who was Prime Minister in 1959, which resulted in the dictator's receiving several shots, whereas Saddam Hussein received one shot from the dictator's bodyguards in his leg.

Sentenced to death in absentia on February 25, 1960.

Escaped to Syria and thence to Egypt where he completed his secondary school study in 1962.

Returned to Iraq after the 14th of Ramadhan revolution (February 8), 1963.

Admitted to the College of Law in Cairo in 1962-1963. Discontinued his study at the College by the end of 1963 when he had to return to Baghdad to lead the revolutionary struggle against the reactionary backward regime which had toppled the Ba' th Government.

Elected as member of the Ba' th Party Leadership in Iraq at the end of 1963.

The arrest campaign waged by the authorities against Party members on September 4, 1964 did not spare him, for he was arrested on October 14, 1964 with charges related to his leadership of the Party's struggle against the reactionary backward regime.

Passed his first year, the College of Law, while he was under arrest.

Elected as member of the Ba' th Party's Pan-Arab National Leadership in 1965 while still under arrest.

In September 1966, he was elected Deputy Secretary General of Ba' th Party Leadership in Iraq.

Escaped from prison in 1967, to resume leadership of the Ba' th Party struggle, and hence he had to discontinue his study again because he was chased by the regime's secret police.

On July 17, 1968, mounting the first thank which besieged the headquarters of the head of the regime (The Presidential Palace) he led a group of Party members which forced their way into the Palace to overthrow the reactionary backward regime, and so played the leading and basic role in carrying out the Revolution that day, having previously prepared for it.

On July 30, 1968, he was personally in charge of swift operation to purge the new government of July 17 Revolution of certain old regime' s figures who for tactical reasons co-operated with the Ba 'th Party revolutionaries.

Having completed his third and fourth year of study after the July 17 Revolution 1968, he graduated from the College of Law .

He practically acted as Vice - Chairman of the Revolution Command Council since July 30, 1968, but was constitutionally elected for this post on November 9, 1969.

On June 1, 1972, he led the process of nationalizing Western oil companies which had had the monopoly of Iraq's oil.

On July 1, 1973, he was dubbed the rank of Lieut. General and the Rafidain Order, First Class (Military type).

On February 7, 1974, he was dubbed the Rafidain Order (Civilian type).

Played the principal role in formulating and implementing the Autonomy Law for Iraqi Kurdish citizens on March 11, 1974.

On February 1, 1976, he was awarded the M.A . Honors Degree in Military Sciences, together with the Staff Degree.

On October 8, 1977, he was elected Assistant Secretary General of the National Pan-Arab Leadership of the Ba' th Party.

On July 16, 1979, he was elected Secretary General of the Regional Leadership of the Ba 'th Party in Iraq, Chairman of the Revolution Command Council and President of the Republic of Iraq.

On July 17, 1979, he was promoted to the rank of Field Marshal.

On October 8, 1979, he was elected Deputy Secretary General of the National Pan-Arab Leadership of the Ba' th Party.

Led the Iraqi people an army wisely and bravely against the aggression initiated and launched against Iraq by Khomeini's regime on September 4, 1980, which ended in Iraq's great victory on August 8, 1988.

On July 30, 1983, he was dubbed the Revolution Order first Class.

In 1984, he was awarded Honorary Doctorate in Law by the University of Baghdad.

On April 28, 1988, he was subbed the Order of the People.

Led actively the modernization of Iraqi economy, urging the construction of various developed industries and following their administration and execution. He also supervised the modernization of Iraqi countryside, the mechanization of agriculture and the distribution of land on farmers. He affected a comprehensive revolution in energy industries as well as in public services such as transport and education. He also initiated and led the National Campaign for the Eradication of Illiteracy and the implementation of Compulsory Free Education in Iraq.

Led his country in confrontation the aggression launched by 33 countries led by US. which waged war against Iraq, the Iraqis' confrontation of which is called by Arabs and Iraqis as the Battle of Battles (Um Al-Ma' arik), where Iraq stood fast against the invasion, maintaining its sovereignty and political system.

Has several works in intellectual, political, economic, military, social and educational fields, all translated into basic world languages.

	Understading Iraq and the Region: Iraqi Perspective
	If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle. As Americans we have a poor understanding of Iraq, the Hussein presidency and history of this region of the world. While on the verge of a tremendous war, we have a duty to learn as much as possible about this perceived threat. InfoImagination highlights public statements, meeting summaries and cabinet proceedings.
	UPDATE: February 16, 2006 This is the regime we were told to hate. We have spent over $250 billion to date due to our "fear" about this man. Yet he had warned us about a possible terror attack -- and he made it clear the attack wouldn't come from him or his country. Saddam 'Warned US of Terror Risk' http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/11C9363F-794D-4633-A21F-D53D6D75A6ED.htm Thursday 16 February 2006, 6:40 Makka Time, 3:40 GMT Saddam said Iraq would not launch terror attacks Saddam Hussein told aides in the mid-1990s that he warned the United States it could be hit by a terrorist attack, ABC News has reported, citing 12 hours of tapes the network obtained of the Iraqi leader's talks with his cabinet. One of Saddam's son-in-laws also said that Iraq hid its biological weapons programmes from UN inspectors, according to the tapes from August 1995, the television network reported on Wednesday. The terrorist attack Saddam predicted could involve weapons of mass destruction. "Terrorism is coming. I told the Americans," Saddam is heard saying, adding that he "told the British as well". "In the future, what would prevent a booby-trapped car causing a nuclear explosion in Washington or a germ or a chemical one?" Saddam said. But he said Iraq would never carry out such an attack. "This story is coming, but not from Iraq," he said. The State Department had no comment on the report, which was broadcast on World News Tonight. ABC News said US officials confirmed that the tapes were authentic. ABC News said the CIA found the tapes in Iraq and that the 12 hours were provided to it by Bill Tierney, a former member of a UN inspection team who was translating them for the FBI. ABC News quoted Tierney as saying the US government was wrong to keep the tapes secret. Water tower Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi deputy-prime minister, told Saddam on the tape that "the biological [attack] is very easy to make". He said: "It is so simple that any biologist can make a bottle of germs and drop it into a water tower and kill 100,000. This is not done by a state. No need to accuse a state. An individual can do it." Hussein Kamel, a son-in-law of Saddam's, who was then in charge of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction efforts, said that Iraq withheld information from the UN inspectors. "We did not reveal all that we have," he said. "We did not reveal the volume of chemical weapons we had produced." Defected son-in-law Hussein Kamel defected to Jordan shortly after the tapes were recorded, and Iraq admitted that it had concealed its biological weapons programme. Kamel returned to Iraq in February 1996 and was killed by security forces.