I just finished reading a very interesting book by one of Saddam’s air force generals who was also a Christian, Georges Sada. He was more involved with Saddam in the 1980s and early 1990s. It is clear that Saddam was ruthless and in many way very short-sighted. I want to read some of the reviews of the book—I understand it was on the NYT’s best seller list earlier this year.
Some of the author’s points:
1. He believes the use of military force against Saddam was justified.
2. Saddam was like Stalin—he had a genius at doing evil.
3. Saddam seldom based his military strategy on logic, national interest, or least of all, genuine national defense. As in everything else, his tactics were centered on whatever would benefit him personally or exalt his reputation and authority in the region.
4. Saddam’s WMD were moved to Syria.
5. He had arranged for Chinese nuclear scientists to build his atomic weapons so that UN inspectors would not find atomic research facilities in Iraq.
6. Saddam’s operation centers were built below the underground bunkers where civilians took refuge forcing America to kill civilians if operation centers were to be destroyed in the 2003 war.
7. The UN oil for food program was corrupted by Saddam through bribery.
8. During the invasion the US failed to make use of many Baathists who were forced by fear to serve Saddam.
2 comments:
Hey Dr. K, could you give some perspective on the Israel/Lebanon/Palestine disaster? I never took Middle East. :)
Is the testimony of Georges Sada (”WMD moved to Syria”) credible? The publisher of “Saddam’s Secrets” (Integrity Publishers) has previously published phony information due to very lax editing; see http://www.edresearch.com/IntergrityShame.htm. He has served as a spokesman for Iyad Allawi, whom many (esp. MSM, liberals) distrust. He didn’t come out with the story until after the invasion. Though he was the #2 in the Iraqi Air Force, “He officially retired in 1986 as a 2-star general, but was called back to active service for the 1990 invasion of Kuwait. He claims that he was discharged and imprisoned on February 5, 1991, for refusing to execute POWs and has not been employed in any official capacity in Iraq since then.” [Wikipedia] The most vocal detractor of Sada and Al-Tikriti is probably Alex Koppelman, whose arguments can be found in a hit piece called “Lions, Tigers and WMD Conspiracies, Oh My!” at http://www.dfire.org/x2097.xml?ss=print.
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