Saddam Hussein was deposed by a US invasion in 2003. The case for war was based on false information and ulterior motives. It was claimed by the Bush administration that Iraq was producing weapons of mass destruction and aiding terrorist networks. As the war progressed these claims were proven fabricated. The repercussions were immense. A country that did not have terrorist activity now found itself confronting radical political Islamists factions. The country was experiencing higher levels of ethnic and religious conflict. Simultaneously, Iranian power grew. Iraq was now more divided than ever. Saddam Hussein's abuses were well documented, but he did keep the country whole. Without a binding force Iraq descended into chaos. Saddam's authoritarian regime held the state in unison. Once that was dismantled, disorder did not just spread in Iraq, but the entire region.
Saddam Hussein came to power in 1979. His objectives were to expand Iraqi power, while crushing internal dissent. Iraq had the potential to collapse into several different countries. Kurds for most of the twentieth century wanted an independent state. This did not only effect Iraq, but Syria, Turkey, and Iran. During the British mandate it was policy to prevent Kurds their own country. Saddam continued this policy of Kurdish suppression. During the 1980s Iraq was at war with Iran, which complicated matters even further. Iran was arming Kurdish groups who were resisting Saddam's rule. The Kurds were already a persecuted group in Iraq and this intensified violence directed at them. The climax was the chemical attack on Halabja in 1988. This event was significant in two ways. It demonstrated that the West, particularly America would tolerate human rights abuses when a regime behaves in a manner compatible to foreign policy interests. The US wanted to strike Iran for the embassy hostage crisis, which was a source of major embarrassment. Halabja also reveal how Saddam controlled a state that was an amalgamation of different people. Violent repression and armed force were the two tactics that Saddam Hussein used to keep Iraq as one unit. The establishment of no-fly zones after the Gulf War gave the Kurds more autonomy. Saddam was unable to send forces to the north of the country because he was blocked by UN imposed restrictions. Kurdistan was facing civil war between 1993 and 1997. The Patriotic Union of Kurdistan and Kurdistan Democratic Party fought each other for control. This resulted in two regional governments. Currently as the Peshmerga fights ISIS it is inevitable the question of Kurdish independence will be raised. The US will not support it, which might deteriorate relations with Turkey. Turkey has been known to persecute Kurds just like Iraq and would never allow an independent Kurdistan to be recognized. The US and Turkey are experiencing tension over different perspectives in regards to Syria. The movement for Kurdish independence was a harbinger for events to come.
Saddam Hussein used religion when it benefited his political objectives. One method he used was inducing fear of Shiites in the Sunni population. The Sunni Muslims were the minority sect, but held the majority of the power in Saddam's Iraq. The Shia majority was viewed as a threat and considered a security risk. Saddam's fear was that Iran would encourage the Shia majority to revolt against his rule. Iran a large Shia Muslim country had the potential to be a major regional power. The Iranian Revolution induced trepidation in Sunni leaders of the Middle East.
The ethnic and religious demographics of Iraq continue to produce political and social challenges.
Sunni Muslims thought that Saddam was the solution to the "Shiite threat." This was imagined, but had an element of truth. The threat was not to Sunnis, but Sunni Muslim rulers in states such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Kuwait. The majority of Gulf monarchies understood that Saddam during the 1980s was a buffer against increasing Iranian power. Even though they were ideologically on different trajectories, Ayatollah Khomeini was perceived to be more of a menace. Saddam Hussien controlled the Sunni Muslim population by scapegoating Shiite Muslims. Doing this allowed him to easily manipulate various ethnic and religious groups. Although he was a secular leader, religion was a method of control. He promoted a Sunni Muslim nationalism to build a state and regional consensus. Iraq was woven together by a fragile thread.
Iraq was held together by armed force. Saddam Hussein valued the army and security services. During his rule Iraq had the fourth largest army in the world. The regular Iraqi Army fought the majority of Iraq conflicts from the Iran-Iraq War to the Iraq War of 2003. Another armed branch was the Republican Guard, which was a corps of elite Iraqi soldiers. They were considered the most loyal to the Baath Party . However, there was another paramilitary force that was more loyal to Hussein known as the Saddam Fedayeen. They were classified more so as irregular forces. The army and paramilitary groups were critical in crushing various rebellions in the country. After the invasion of Kuwait uprisings of Kurds in the north and Marsh Arabs south were brutally suppressed in 1991. The West saw this as an opportunity to have a permanent military presence in the region and imposed no-fly zones. The claim was that it was to protect civilians fleeing violence, but this was false. The no fly zones were to weaken Iraq and present it as a danger to justify US hegemony in the Middle East. Oil was too important in the view of American foreign policy circles to be managed by Arabs. Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait also was used to justify an increasing US policing role around the globe. The no fly zones created more disunity within Iraq's boundaries and was a precursor to the chaos which would come under the George W. Bush Administration.
The Bush Administration wanted Saddam deposed as early as 2001. Suddenly, there were myths being presented that Saddam was supporting Al-qaeda. The Bush Administration promoted this mendacious accusation and public opinion shifted in the US. America's European allies were not convinced. France and Germany were unwilling to make military commitments. This was a unilateral war conducted by the US without UN approval. When Saddam was deposed and executed Iraq descended into constant conflict. After the fall of Baghdad Saddam Loyalists continued to resist US occupation. Islamists groups entered the country adding new fighters to the insurgency.Without a powerful central authority, which Saddam constructed over the decades Iraq was disintegrating. Shia Muslim death squads were emerging to exact vengeance on Sunni Muslims. The Kurds were moving closer to the dream of independence, but this complicated matters in relations to Kirkuk. Terrorism and human rights abuses escalated far beyond what was done during the Saddam era. De-Baathification was a policy that removed all Baath Party officials from government and the army. Former generals in Saddam's army joined the insurgency and Sunni Muslim resistance became more organized. The US responded with a troop surge, but this would not be an effective strategy. President Obama never agreed with the Iraq War and wanted a full withdraw. The damaged had already been done before he took office.
Gone are days of Saddam Hussein's monoply on political power. Currently ISIS controls a large amount of territory. Saudi Arabia and Iran are in conflict with each other over Yemen through a war of proxy. Israel is unrestrained, because Iraq was a major challenger to its regional power. The power void left by the collapse of the Baathist regime allowed Iran to gain more power. The delicate balance was dismantled in the region. One reason Saddam Hussein was not deposed by the US in 1991 was because of the possibility of mass disorder. George Herbert Walker Bush stated that regime change would be going beyond the original mandate. His son did not share this vision and wanted to impose a political system on a country. Iraq has as the current situation proves, does not want western style parliamentary democracy. While Saddam Hussein was a horrible tyrant he did provide order and a shield against external threats. The ISIS movement is not just a violent reaction from Sunni Muslims; it is an attempt to establish a radical political Islamist state. Retrospectively the removal of Saddam Hussein was a major foreign policy mistake.
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