Saddam Hussein This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. Saddam Hussein Date of birth April 28, 1937 Political Party Ba'ath Arab Socialist Party Political positions Chairman of the Iraqi Revolutionary Command Council and President of Iraq (1979-2003) Saddam Hussein0 Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti, , born April 28, 1937 1, was the President of Iraq from 1979 until he lost power over Iraq when American troops arrived in Baghdad on April 9, 2003. A leading member of the Iraqi Ba'ath Party, which espoused secular pan-Arabism, economic modernization, and socialism, Saddam (see 2 regarding names) played a key role in the 1968 coup that brought the party to long-term power.
As vice president under his cousin, the frail General Ahmed Bakr, Saddam tightly controlled conflict between the government and the armed forces by creating repressive security forces and cementing his own firm authority over the apparatus of government.
As president, Saddam ran an authoritarian government and maintained power through the Iran-Iraq War (1980-1988) and the Gulf War (1991). Saddam's government repressed movements that it deemed threatening, particularly those of ethnic or religious groups that sought independence or autonomy. While he remained a popular hero among many Arabs for standing up to his opponents in the West, such as the United States, some in the international community continued to view Saddam with deep suspicion following the 1991 Gulf War. Saddam was deposed by the United States and its allies during the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Captured by U.S. forces on December 13, 2003, he is standing trial charged with crimes against humanity before the Iraq Special Tribunal, established by the Iraqi Interim Government.
Turtles Can Fly (2005)
