Saddam Hussein
Iraqi strongman, deposed
Saddam Hussein was the president of Iraq from 1979 to 2003, ruling as dictator until overthrown by U.S.-led forces.
His name became synonymous with authoritarian brutality—he used chemical weapons against Kurdish civilians and invaded Kuwait in 1990.
References to Saddam often invoke ruthless dictatorship: He runs that company like Saddam Hussein.
Concealed one-person dugout
- fugitiveOne fleeing authorities
- manhuntSearch for a suspect
- Delta ForceElite Army special missions unit
- deck of cardsShuffled playing set
most wanted · disheveled · beard · hiding · farmhouse
Cruel, absolute ruler
- autocratSole wielder of power
- strongmanPowerful lifter or despot
- totalitarianDictatorial, all-controlling regime
- oppressorOne who dominates cruelly
iron fist · regime · personality cult · fear · repression · secret police · torture · purges
Systematic persecution of civilians
- genocideSystematic annihilation of a people
- death sentenceJudicial order of execution
- executionCompleting a planned task
- hangingExecution by noose
gallows · defense lawyers · war crimes · justice · verdict
- chemical warfareCombat using toxic substances
- trench warfareCombat from fortified ditches
- war of attritionProlonged conflict draining both sides
- ceasefireAgreed halt to fighting
1991 allied Iraq offensive
- coalition forcesMultinational military alliance
- Scud missilesTactical ballistic missiles
- oil firesCombusting petroleum deposits
- UN sanctionsMultinational punitive measures
Desert Shield · no-fly zone · Schwarzkopf · Republican Guard · human shields · ceasefire · Patriot missiles · air campaign
Separation of faith, state
- single-party ruleGovernance without competing factions
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
- socialistProponent of collective ownership
- statismDoctrine of governmental dominance
authoritarianism · ideology · patronage · personality cult · propaganda · fedayeen · party purges
Iraqi seat of government
- TikritIraqi provincial capital
- MesopotamiaTigris-Euphrates river region
- TigrisWestern Asian river
- EuphratesMajor Iraqi river
Kurdistan · Shiite · Sunni · oil reserves · OPEC · chemical weapons · Basra · Mosul
spider hole
Concealed one-person dugout
- fugitiveOne fleeing authorities
- manhuntSearch for a suspect
- Delta ForceElite Army special missions unit
most wanted · deck of cards · disheveled · beard · hiding · farmhouse
tyrant
Cruel, absolute ruler
- autocratSole wielder of power
- strongmanPowerful lifter or despot
- totalitarianDictatorial, all-controlling regime
oppressor · iron fist · regime · personality cult · fear · repression · secret police · torture · purges · absolute power
crimes against humanity
Systematic persecution of civilians
- genocideSystematic annihilation of a people
- death sentenceJudicial order of execution
- executionCompleting a planned task
hanging · gallows · defense lawyers · war crimes · justice · verdict
Khomeini
- chemical warfareCombat using toxic substances
- trench warfareCombat from fortified ditches
- war of attritionProlonged conflict draining both sides
Operation Desert Storm
1991 allied Iraq offensive
- coalition forcesMultinational military alliance
- Scud missilesTactical ballistic missiles
- oil firesCombusting petroleum deposits
UN sanctions · Desert Shield · no-fly zone · Schwarzkopf · Republican Guard · human shields · ceasefire · Patriot missiles · air campaign · ground offensive
secularism
Separation of faith, state
- single-party ruleGovernance without competing factions
- revolutionarySeeking fundamental systemic change
- socialistProponent of collective ownership
statism · authoritarianism · ideology · patronage · personality cult · propaganda · fedayeen · party purges
Baghdad
Iraqi seat of government
- TikritIraqi provincial capital
- MesopotamiaTigris-Euphrates river region
- TigrisWestern Asian river
Euphrates · Kurdistan · Shiite · Sunni · oil reserves · OPEC · chemical weapons · Basra · Mosul · palaces
- IraqBaghdad, Basra, Mosul, Fallujah, Kurdistan
- Iraqis
- Saddam's IraqRepublican Guard, Baghdad, Tikrit, fedayeen, secret police
- Arab HistoryArab Spring, Arab League, Nasser, Gamal Abdel Nasser, Baath Party
- dictatorsdictator, tyrant, despot, autocrat, Stalin
- Gulf WarDesert Storm, Desert Shield, Operation Desert Storm, Gulf War, Norman Schwarzkopf
Saddam HusseinNelson Mandela
Jimmy Carter · Mahatma Gandhi · Thomas Jefferson · liberator · Angela Merkel
Saddam HusseinMahatma Gandhi
Nelson Mandela · Mother Teresa · Martin Luther King Jr. · Desmond Tutu · Dalai Lama
Saddam HusseinAnwar Sadat
Mohammed bin Salman · coalition partner · Benjamin Netanyahu