The Rise and Fall of Saddam

IN the recent history of Iraq, each ruler has been butchered by his successor, who himself has been butchered in turn. The one exception is Saddam Hussein, strangely enough, who spared the life of his predecessor and patron Ahmad al-Bakr, though he quickly made sure to murder all those among Bakr’s associates who might have emerged as possible rivals, just in case anyone mistook him for soft-hearted. Current reports out of Baghdad cannot be trusted, but according to one plausible item, Saddam has placed under house arrest his defense minister, Lt. Gen. Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Jabburi Tai. General Tai’s daughter is married to Qusay, Saddam’s hateful younger son and putative heir. Some crony like the general could hope to ingratiate himself with President Bush by the timely murder of Saddam.

Mr. Pryce-Jones is an NR senior editor. Among his books is The Closed Circle: An Interpretation of the Arabs.

About the Author

David Pryce-Jones

David Pryce-Jones (1936–2025) was a British author and commentator and served as a senior editor of National Review.

IN the recent history of Iraq, each ruler has been butchered by his successor, who himself has been butchered in turn. The one exception is Saddam Hussein, strangely enough, who spared the life of his predecessor and patron Ahmad al-Bakr, though he quickly made sure to murder all those among Bakr’s associates who might have emerged as possible rivals, just in case anyone mistook him for soft-hearted. Current reports out of Baghdad cannot be trusted, but according to one plausible item, Saddam has placed under house arrest his defense minister, Lt. Gen. Sultan Hashim Ahmad al-Jabburi Tai. General Tai’s daughter is married to Qusay, Saddam’s hateful younger son and putative heir. Some crony like the general could hope to ingratiate himself with President Bush by the timely murder of Saddam.

Mr. Pryce-Jones is an NR senior editor. Among his books is The Closed Circle: An Interpretation of the Arabs.