The Saddam Hussein Reader: Selections from Leading Writers on Iraq

Book Overview

A collection of essays offer a wide range of opinions on Saddam Hussein and the causes of the current political situation in Iraq. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560254289
• ISBN13: 9781560254287
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: Basic Books
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 1.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Still Useful

This book was published in 2002. Saddam Hussein was still in hiding and interest in knowing more about him and his brutal regime was still high. Now that Hussein has been captured and executed, interest has diminished. Nevertheless, this book remains an excellent resource for anyone wishing to better understand how Hussein came to power and how he was able to exercise total control over such a fractious population. One of the most interesting chapters is Hussein's "Call for Jihad" in September 1990, wherein he exhorts the Iraqi people to "save the entire human race...highlight the message of the meanings of Islam...and save humanity from the injustice of the tyrants and usurpers..." His appeal then will surely still resonate with the insurgents fighting against US forces in Iraq today. The chapters are taken from numerous articles/speeches by a variety of individuals (from Faud Matar to Noam Chomsky) who have differing points of view, some journalistic, others political or propagandistic. Nevertheless, the book as a whole is instructive and still pertinent as the US seeks a successful strategy for dealing with Iraq and indeed, the entire Middle East.

Useful, balanced and informative

The Saddam Hussein Reader is an excellent compilation of articles on Hussein's brutal regime. There are a total of thirty-eight different articles by as many authors. Edited by Turi Munthe it is divided into three parts. The first dedicated to the Saddam's rise to power and his early years, the second part focuses on the Gulf War period while the last deals with the post-Gulf War regime.It's unfortunate that the Saddam Hussein Reader starts off with the interview of Saddam by Fuad Matar. While interesting in its own way it goes on far too long and is ultimately a PR fluff piece by a pro-Saddam journalist. The rest of the section is quite good. Especially notable are Said Aburish's excerpt from the Politics of Revenge, Ofra Bengio's analysis of his Arab viewpoint and Charles Tripp's analysis of the Iran Iraq war. Avia Shiaim offers up a genuine critique of US policy towards Iraq in the 1970's that supported the Iraqi Ba'athist party .Part II dealing with the Gulf War offers several articles from all across the political spectrum. Especially noteworthy is Saddam's own call to Jihad against the US coalition and a counter "Fatwa" by Muslims against the Iraqi regime's invasion of Kuwait. John Esposito's analysis of Islam and the Gulf War has a lot to commend it as well.The final portion deals with the post Gulf War era in Iraq, options for ridding it of Saddam and arguments against US involvement. All in all this is an excellent selection of articles which range from anti-Saddam to pro-Arab to anti-US. From US military officers to Israeli Academicians to Arab activists like Edward Said to left wing icons like Noam Chomsky and Saddam himself there is something for (or against) everyone. An excellent collection of articles and highly recommended.