Throughout the twentieth century Iraq's fate has always depended to a large degree on the disposition of other nations, either the dominant Western powers such as Great Britain and the United States or the six nations that surround it. Iraq has always been a nation that perceives itself--usually correctly--as being at the mercy of other countries in many ways. Even internally the significant Kurdish population in the north and the "subordinate majority" of Shi'a Muslims in the south have long resented domination by the Sunni Muslims (Bahgat 40). The current regime, Saddam Hussein and his Baathist Party, have been in power since 1979, tolerating little opposition and proceeding on the assumption that Iraq must fight to protect itself. This led to the devastating war with Iran, which lasted throughout most of the 1980s, and the 1990 invasion of Kuwait which ended with expulsion from that nation by an American-led international alliance determined to preserve the status quo in the oil-producing regions. The Persian Gulf War was very brief but Hussein's retention of power and continued unwillingness to compromise led to the terrible economic embargo which extended throughout the entire decade of the nineties and brought about great suffering and a sharp decline in the nation's status from a once promising center of modernization to a frightening new level of impoverishment. The effect has been so overwhelming, according to U.S. Congressman Tony Hill, that even if the sanctions were lifted today it would still "take Iraqi people a generation to recover from their present situation" (quoted in Boukhari 58).
Saddam Hussein rose gradually to power during the 1970s and assumed the presidency in 1979. His Baathist party is essentially a small, army-oriented and exclusive group (with no more than 50,000 full members) that heads a government with a unicameral elected National Assembly. Hussein is, however, the virtual dictator and all...