1 00:00:02,670 --> 00:00:05,337 [loud explosions; rapid gunfire] 2 00:00:11,145 --> 00:00:14,079 (male narrator) 2003. 3 00:00:14,148 --> 00:00:16,248 Following a swift and lethal invasion, 4 00:00:16,317 --> 00:00:20,786 U.S. led forces occupy Iraq. 5 00:00:20,855 --> 00:00:22,921 One of the most brutal regimes of the 20th century 6 00:00:22,990 --> 00:00:25,257 has come to an end. 7 00:00:29,063 --> 00:00:32,731 Ladies and gentlemen... we got him! 8 00:00:32,800 --> 00:00:35,868 [loud applause & cheering] 9 00:00:38,806 --> 00:00:42,174 (narrator) Iraq's former dictator, Saddam Hussein, 10 00:00:42,243 --> 00:00:44,676 has been captured by U.S. Army Special Forces. 11 00:00:49,050 --> 00:00:52,684 They found him on a farm, near the city of Tikrit, 12 00:00:52,753 --> 00:00:55,888 at the bottom of an 8-foot hole in the ground. 13 00:00:55,956 --> 00:00:58,590 (John Nixon) It was quite a night, 14 00:00:58,659 --> 00:01:01,093 there was a real buzz in the station 15 00:01:01,162 --> 00:01:03,796 and everybody was very excited. 16 00:01:03,864 --> 00:01:06,732 And I was part of the team 17 00:01:06,801 --> 00:01:09,268 that went in to debrief Saddam Hussein. 18 00:01:09,336 --> 00:01:12,638 I remember thinking, it's Saddam, 19 00:01:12,706 --> 00:01:16,008 it's really him, I still couldn't believe it. 20 00:01:16,077 --> 00:01:19,478 At first he was very disarming. 21 00:01:19,547 --> 00:01:23,649 You're expecting to get the Butcher of Baghdad and instead 22 00:01:23,717 --> 00:01:27,019 you're getting somebody who is very charming, very personable. 23 00:01:27,088 --> 00:01:30,422 Over time though, I would have this to say, 24 00:01:30,491 --> 00:01:34,359 the more you got to know Saddam, the less you liked him. 25 00:01:34,428 --> 00:01:38,464 And the more you got to see another side of him, which was, 26 00:01:38,532 --> 00:01:40,933 could be a very nasty and brutish 27 00:01:41,001 --> 00:01:42,634 and kind of a horrible and frightening figure. 28 00:01:44,405 --> 00:01:47,005 Saddam was so ruthless, so brutal. 29 00:01:47,074 --> 00:01:51,076 So violent in all sorts of ways. 30 00:01:51,145 --> 00:01:54,146 [chanting] 31 00:01:54,215 --> 00:01:56,882 (Natasha Ezrow) He was one of the most murderous leaders, really, in history. 32 00:01:56,951 --> 00:01:59,084 And he got away with it. 33 00:01:59,153 --> 00:02:03,889 He still was able to instill in his public 34 00:02:03,958 --> 00:02:07,659 complete loyalty to him. 35 00:02:07,728 --> 00:02:10,762 (narrator) Saddam Hussein ruled Iraq with an iron fist 36 00:02:10,831 --> 00:02:13,532 for almost 30 years. 37 00:02:13,601 --> 00:02:16,735 To maintain power for so long, he used fear, 38 00:02:16,804 --> 00:02:19,171 intimidation, and violence 39 00:02:19,240 --> 00:02:22,841 like few other dictators in history. 40 00:02:22,910 --> 00:02:25,911 But in the end, even that was not enough. 41 00:02:28,315 --> 00:02:30,182 [loud gunshot] 42 00:02:30,251 --> 00:02:32,584 How did Saddam Hussein become 43 00:02:32,653 --> 00:02:35,053 one of the most feared dictators of the 20th century, 44 00:02:35,122 --> 00:02:36,822 only to lose it all? 45 00:02:40,928 --> 00:02:43,529 (woman) Dictatorships have had an incredible impact 46 00:02:43,597 --> 00:02:46,365 in the past century. 47 00:02:46,433 --> 00:02:50,235 These dictators ended up learning from one another. 48 00:02:50,304 --> 00:02:53,906 (man) They're all different, but many use the same tactics. 49 00:02:53,974 --> 00:02:56,341 (woman) The use of terror. (man) Propaganda. 50 00:02:56,410 --> 00:02:58,510 (woman) Control the elites. Create an enemy. 51 00:02:58,579 --> 00:03:00,712 Cult of personality. (man) Use violence-- 52 00:03:00,781 --> 00:03:03,215 These are tools that dictators use to stay in power. 53 00:03:09,190 --> 00:03:13,192 (narrator) April 28, 1937: 54 00:03:13,260 --> 00:03:15,494 On the edge of the Arabian desert 55 00:03:15,563 --> 00:03:18,997 in central Iraq, Saddam Hussein is born 56 00:03:19,066 --> 00:03:22,301 into a family of poor, landless peasants. 57 00:03:22,369 --> 00:03:25,437 He was born in a mud hut-- that means no floors, no toilets, 58 00:03:25,506 --> 00:03:29,141 no running water, no electricity, in a tiny village 59 00:03:29,210 --> 00:03:34,546 called Al-Awja, which means "crooked," and the population 60 00:03:34,615 --> 00:03:38,517 by and large would have descended from nomadic tribes 61 00:03:38,586 --> 00:03:41,987 The life of the Bedouin Nomad 62 00:03:42,056 --> 00:03:46,458 was a very harsh life with its own rules of honor, of loyalty, 63 00:03:46,527 --> 00:03:51,363 of obligation, family was immensely important. 64 00:03:54,401 --> 00:03:59,538 (narrator) But Saddam's own family is in crisis. 65 00:03:59,607 --> 00:04:04,409 Six months before he was born, his father disappeared. 66 00:04:04,478 --> 00:04:07,446 Soon after, his 13-year-old brother died. 67 00:04:07,514 --> 00:04:10,182 Saddam was now the only child 68 00:04:10,251 --> 00:04:12,417 of a single mother. 69 00:04:12,486 --> 00:04:15,787 He didn't have that father figure, 70 00:04:15,856 --> 00:04:19,291 and the father figure in the Iraqi family, 71 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:22,861 particularly in tribes is a very important person because 72 00:04:22,930 --> 00:04:25,464 they're a source of pride and prestige and protection. 73 00:04:28,102 --> 00:04:30,302 (narrator) The young Saddam is beaten at home 74 00:04:30,371 --> 00:04:32,838 and ridiculed and bullied by other village children. 75 00:04:37,244 --> 00:04:41,146 You give into that or you fight it. 76 00:04:41,215 --> 00:04:44,716 He definitely fought it. 77 00:04:44,785 --> 00:04:47,319 (narrator) Saddam uses his advantage 78 00:04:47,388 --> 00:04:49,554 in height and strength to strike back. 79 00:04:53,294 --> 00:04:56,461 (Joseph Sassoon) He used violence from an early age 80 00:04:56,530 --> 00:05:00,432 to basically tell everyone 81 00:05:00,501 --> 00:05:07,673 that he is the person who has the power and control. 82 00:05:07,741 --> 00:05:11,810 (narrator) It is a tactic Saddam will return to throughout his life, 83 00:05:11,879 --> 00:05:16,181 a tool that will come to define his dictatorship. 84 00:05:16,250 --> 00:05:19,051 (Natasha Ezrow) The use of violence 85 00:05:19,119 --> 00:05:21,453 is important to any dictatorship. 86 00:05:21,522 --> 00:05:25,123 It's key to the way they seize power and maintain control. 87 00:05:25,192 --> 00:05:27,359 (Mariam Mufti) Saddam learned to use violence 88 00:05:27,428 --> 00:05:30,362 as a tool in all sorts of ways. 89 00:05:30,431 --> 00:05:32,998 He could use it for the purposes of threatening the population, 90 00:05:33,067 --> 00:05:35,367 in a targeted way, 91 00:05:35,436 --> 00:05:38,303 but also more generally. 92 00:05:38,372 --> 00:05:41,306 There was an evolution in the way Saddam Hussein used violence 93 00:05:41,375 --> 00:05:43,875 and it became more excessive as time went on. 94 00:05:43,944 --> 00:05:46,545 In fact, I would argue that it became 95 00:05:46,613 --> 00:05:48,914 even more random and unpredictable. 96 00:05:48,982 --> 00:05:54,353 He really did become a master at the use of violence. 97 00:05:54,421 --> 00:06:00,359 (narrator) In 1955, at the age of 18, Saddam settles in Baghdad. 98 00:06:00,427 --> 00:06:03,695 There, his violent character will collide 99 00:06:03,764 --> 00:06:07,699 with the turbulent Iraqi politics of the day. 100 00:06:07,768 --> 00:06:12,504 He finds the capitol city alive with talk of revolution . 101 00:06:15,342 --> 00:06:19,478 He grew up in that period really, almost everyone 102 00:06:19,546 --> 00:06:22,214 was talking about Iraqi nationalism, 103 00:06:22,282 --> 00:06:24,950 about its independence, 104 00:06:25,018 --> 00:06:32,624 about the need to be totally sovereign. 105 00:06:32,693 --> 00:06:36,261 (narrator) Iraq is built on the ruins of ancient Mesopotamia, 106 00:06:36,330 --> 00:06:39,398 a civilization thousands of years old. 107 00:06:39,466 --> 00:06:41,600 But the modern nation of Iraq 108 00:06:41,668 --> 00:06:46,004 is a 20th-century invention. 109 00:06:46,073 --> 00:06:50,542 Established by the Western powers after World War 1, 110 00:06:50,611 --> 00:06:54,279 the country is a complicated mix of Sunni and Shia Muslims, 111 00:06:54,348 --> 00:06:57,015 and other religious and ethnic minorities. 112 00:06:57,084 --> 00:07:00,018 Since 1920, 113 00:07:00,087 --> 00:07:04,055 Iraq has effectively been under British control. 114 00:07:04,124 --> 00:07:07,426 The country is ruled by a monarchy, 115 00:07:07,494 --> 00:07:10,762 under the puppet regime of King Faisal II. 116 00:07:10,831 --> 00:07:15,600 But Britain controls Iraq's politics 117 00:07:15,669 --> 00:07:20,705 and reaps almost all the profits of its vast oil wealth... 118 00:07:20,774 --> 00:07:24,810 while 80% of Iraqis still live in abject poverty. 119 00:07:27,147 --> 00:07:31,016 Fed up with this foreign influence, 120 00:07:31,084 --> 00:07:33,385 Iraqis like Saddam are determined 121 00:07:33,454 --> 00:07:35,520 to regain control of their own country. 122 00:07:38,425 --> 00:07:40,759 Soon after his arrival in Baghdad, 123 00:07:40,828 --> 00:07:43,495 Saddam joins the Ba'ath Party: 124 00:07:43,564 --> 00:07:47,165 a new, revolutionary nationalist movement committed to achieving 125 00:07:47,234 --> 00:07:50,202 Iraqi independence, by violence if necessary. 126 00:07:54,741 --> 00:07:58,677 But there is another revolutionary group in Iraq, 127 00:07:58,745 --> 00:08:03,381 one that is fiercely opposed to the Ba'ath vision 128 00:08:03,450 --> 00:08:06,918 of Iraqi nationalism-- the Iraqi Communist party. 129 00:08:06,987 --> 00:08:10,689 (Joseph Sassoon) The Ba'ath Party was really 130 00:08:10,757 --> 00:08:14,392 a way to counter the communist ideology 131 00:08:14,461 --> 00:08:17,362 that was spreading in the Arab world in the '30s and '40s. 132 00:08:20,133 --> 00:08:23,068 (narrator) The communists and the Ba'aths are locked 133 00:08:23,136 --> 00:08:25,837 in a bitter competition to control Iraq's future. 134 00:08:25,906 --> 00:08:30,342 The communist party was an ominous force, and they were 135 00:08:30,410 --> 00:08:34,713 the only archenemy if you were Saddam Hussein at the time. 136 00:08:34,781 --> 00:08:37,916 (narrator) Saddam sees a way to help the Ba'ath cause 137 00:08:37,985 --> 00:08:40,285 by doing what he knows best. 138 00:08:40,354 --> 00:08:43,989 He becomes an enforcer for the party 139 00:08:44,057 --> 00:08:47,259 and organizes roving gangs to intimidate communist opponents. 140 00:08:47,327 --> 00:08:50,395 (Kanan Makaiya) He spent his youth contending with and fighting 141 00:08:50,464 --> 00:08:52,497 the communist party on the streets 142 00:08:52,566 --> 00:08:55,867 in all sorts of different ways. 143 00:08:55,936 --> 00:08:58,370 (narrator) Saddam quickly makes himself 144 00:08:58,438 --> 00:09:02,040 known to party leaders as a man unafraid of violence. 145 00:09:02,109 --> 00:09:05,577 (Kanan Makaiya) So 1956 was the point at which 146 00:09:05,646 --> 00:09:08,513 ideas were now decisively going to turn into 147 00:09:08,582 --> 00:09:12,117 what this young man wanted to do with his life, 148 00:09:12,185 --> 00:09:14,519 which was, become a militant, become a fighter. 149 00:09:20,027 --> 00:09:22,994 (narrator) Then, in 1958, 150 00:09:23,063 --> 00:09:27,065 a sudden change sets up an opportunity for Saddam. 151 00:09:27,134 --> 00:09:30,402 The Iraqi Army stages a violent coup d'état. 152 00:09:30,470 --> 00:09:33,071 King Faisal II and his family 153 00:09:33,140 --> 00:09:35,373 are gunned down in the royal palace. 154 00:09:38,312 --> 00:09:41,413 A new military dictatorship is established 155 00:09:41,481 --> 00:09:44,249 under General Abd al-Karim Qasim. 156 00:09:44,318 --> 00:09:47,519 It seems the dream of an independent Iraq 157 00:09:47,588 --> 00:09:50,789 is finally within reach. 158 00:09:50,857 --> 00:09:54,025 (Kanan Makaiya) So Saddam, like the rest of the Ba'ath party would have 159 00:09:54,094 --> 00:09:56,628 cheered and applauded, gone out on the streets 160 00:09:56,697 --> 00:10:01,633 in the immediate aftermath of the 1958 revolution. 161 00:10:01,702 --> 00:10:04,803 (narrator) But almost immediately, the Ba'ath party is caught up 162 00:10:04,871 --> 00:10:08,039 in a power struggle with the new government. 163 00:10:08,108 --> 00:10:11,109 (John Nixon) There were elements of the Ba'ath Party who thought that 164 00:10:11,178 --> 00:10:14,279 they were going to have more of a say in the government, 165 00:10:14,348 --> 00:10:16,982 then they realized that the military was freezing them out. 166 00:10:17,050 --> 00:10:20,685 (narrator) For Saddam and his comrades, the ultimate betrayal comes 167 00:10:20,754 --> 00:10:23,688 when Qasim aligns his government with their sworn enemy, 168 00:10:23,757 --> 00:10:25,156 the Iraqi Communist party. 169 00:10:27,861 --> 00:10:30,562 The Ba'ath Party believes there is only one option left. 170 00:10:36,036 --> 00:10:40,505 They assemble a team to assassinate General Qasim. 171 00:10:40,574 --> 00:10:44,242 Among the first to volunteer is Saddam Hussein. 172 00:10:47,648 --> 00:10:51,716 (Natasha Ezrow) Saddam Hussein had such facility with violence and brutality 173 00:10:51,785 --> 00:10:54,719 but he is smart and he is wily. 174 00:10:54,788 --> 00:10:57,055 He knows he's the man for this job. 175 00:10:59,593 --> 00:11:02,360 (Joseph Sassoon) I think Saddam saw the assassination 176 00:11:02,429 --> 00:11:04,829 as a way to advance, 177 00:11:04,898 --> 00:11:07,732 saw it as a way to climb the ladder. 178 00:11:07,801 --> 00:11:09,834 (John Nixon) I think Saddam always understood 179 00:11:09,903 --> 00:11:11,936 that there's a lot of potential for advancement 180 00:11:12,005 --> 00:11:14,072 if you're willing to do the things 181 00:11:14,141 --> 00:11:16,074 that other people aren't willing to do. 182 00:11:21,348 --> 00:11:24,182 (narrator) October 7, 1959. 183 00:11:24,251 --> 00:11:26,751 22-year-old Saddam Hussein has used violence 184 00:11:26,820 --> 00:11:30,722 to rise through the ranks of the Ba'ath Party. 185 00:11:30,791 --> 00:11:33,825 Now, he's about to use violence on a whole new level. 186 00:11:36,830 --> 00:11:40,598 Saddam and a small team of comrades are plotting 187 00:11:40,667 --> 00:11:43,601 to assassinate Iraq's new leader, General Qasim. 188 00:11:43,670 --> 00:11:47,939 They will attack his motorcade in broad daylight, 189 00:11:48,008 --> 00:11:50,008 on central Baghdad's busiest avenue. 190 00:11:53,847 --> 00:11:58,950 For Saddam, it is a key turning point on his path to power; 191 00:11:59,019 --> 00:12:03,088 a moment he will later use to build a heroic image of himself 192 00:12:03,156 --> 00:12:06,357 and justify his dictatorship. 193 00:12:06,426 --> 00:12:10,495 (Mariam Mufti) Myth making is a commonly used strategy 194 00:12:10,564 --> 00:12:15,033 by a lot of dictators, because they want to appear to 195 00:12:15,102 --> 00:12:18,670 be more heroic, braver, better than the average person. 196 00:12:18,739 --> 00:12:24,008 In Saddam Hussein's case, he used an origin story 197 00:12:24,077 --> 00:12:28,913 to make people believe that he was special, 198 00:12:28,982 --> 00:12:30,982 and that he was born to be their leader. 199 00:12:34,121 --> 00:12:36,821 (narrator) Part of Saddam's mythology 200 00:12:36,890 --> 00:12:39,891 is based on the assassination plot against General Qasim. 201 00:12:39,960 --> 00:12:42,460 In time, the story morphs 202 00:12:42,529 --> 00:12:45,163 into a celebration of his heroism, 203 00:12:45,232 --> 00:12:48,299 and years later, it's even made into a feature film. 204 00:12:48,368 --> 00:12:50,535 Shown on Iraqi television, 205 00:12:50,604 --> 00:12:54,272 the film depicts Saddam and his comrades 206 00:12:54,341 --> 00:12:57,242 in a daring attack on the presidential motorcade. 207 00:13:00,380 --> 00:13:03,381 [loud gunfire] 208 00:13:07,420 --> 00:13:11,022 (Natasha Ezrow) He created a legend around himself 209 00:13:11,091 --> 00:13:14,759 that this was someone that was not a normal person. 210 00:13:14,828 --> 00:13:18,663 That the people were lucky that they had this person 211 00:13:18,732 --> 00:13:22,267 who is seen as a brave and bold leader 212 00:13:22,335 --> 00:13:26,004 willing to stand up against any types of threats. 213 00:13:26,072 --> 00:13:30,875 (narrator) The film shows Saddam's heroic escape after the assault. 214 00:13:30,944 --> 00:13:34,746 He barely survives a serious bullet wound in his leg, 215 00:13:34,815 --> 00:13:39,083 eludes Qasim's well-armed security forces, flees Baghdad 216 00:13:39,152 --> 00:13:43,488 and makes a thousand-mile journey through Syria, to Egypt. 217 00:13:43,557 --> 00:13:47,692 But, in fact, the attack on General Qasim was nothing like 218 00:13:47,761 --> 00:13:50,495 the glorious heroism depicted in the film. 219 00:13:50,564 --> 00:13:55,500 It was a total disaster. 220 00:13:55,569 --> 00:13:59,737 In reality, the assassination attempt ends in chaos. 221 00:13:59,806 --> 00:14:02,106 Qasim is wounded, but survives, 222 00:14:02,175 --> 00:14:05,577 and Saddam flees to a Baghdad safe house 223 00:14:05,645 --> 00:14:08,546 where he is treated for a minor bullet wound. 224 00:14:08,615 --> 00:14:11,382 (John Nixon) He said it was, yeah, it was a complete failure. 225 00:14:11,451 --> 00:14:15,653 He got shot in the crossfire by one of his own people 226 00:14:15,722 --> 00:14:19,290 as they were trying to nail Qasim in his motorcade. 227 00:14:19,359 --> 00:14:22,227 (narrator) Some later claim it was Saddam's own fault 228 00:14:22,295 --> 00:14:24,495 that the attempt was botched-- 229 00:14:24,564 --> 00:14:26,564 that he started shooting too early. 230 00:14:26,633 --> 00:14:29,133 The attempt failed, 231 00:14:29,202 --> 00:14:31,302 the leader was injured, 232 00:14:31,371 --> 00:14:33,872 but so was Saddam, and he escaped. 233 00:14:36,409 --> 00:14:38,610 (narrator) Saddam flees the country 234 00:14:38,678 --> 00:14:41,079 and hides out in the Egyptian capitol, Cairo. 235 00:14:44,217 --> 00:14:46,651 It's there that he begins to build 236 00:14:46,720 --> 00:14:49,254 the myth of his heroic destiny. 237 00:14:49,322 --> 00:14:52,523 He lays out his own version of what happened-- 238 00:14:52,592 --> 00:14:56,494 that he was a fearless warrior who nearly took down the regime 239 00:14:56,563 --> 00:14:58,830 and escaped to fight another day. 240 00:14:58,899 --> 00:15:02,433 That stamps his perception within the party. 241 00:15:02,502 --> 00:15:05,970 He is the kind of thug, 242 00:15:06,039 --> 00:15:09,073 he is the street fighter par excellence. 243 00:15:09,142 --> 00:15:11,776 He's the man who understands guns. 244 00:15:11,845 --> 00:15:14,579 (narrator) It is this self-created reputation 245 00:15:14,648 --> 00:15:17,715 that will propel Saddam to ultimate power in Iraq. 246 00:15:20,186 --> 00:15:23,488 February 9, 1963. 247 00:15:23,556 --> 00:15:27,158 While Saddam is still in exile, 248 00:15:27,227 --> 00:15:31,562 General Qasim is shot dead by Ba'ath party loyalists, 249 00:15:31,631 --> 00:15:33,231 sparking a 5-year power struggle. 250 00:15:35,368 --> 00:15:38,303 Saddam returns to Iraq. 251 00:15:38,371 --> 00:15:42,840 But it's not until 1968 252 00:15:42,909 --> 00:15:45,810 that the Ba'ath Party finally rises triumphant 253 00:15:45,879 --> 00:15:47,712 it takes power under Saddam's own cousin, 254 00:15:47,781 --> 00:15:51,149 President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr. 255 00:15:51,217 --> 00:15:53,651 Under the new military dictatorship, 256 00:15:53,720 --> 00:15:58,022 al-Bakr and a small group of key Ba'ath loyalists 257 00:15:58,091 --> 00:16:02,560 assume almost total control over the running of the nation. 258 00:16:02,629 --> 00:16:06,264 Thanks to his heroic reputation, Saddam is able to leverage 259 00:16:06,333 --> 00:16:09,968 his way to a senior position in the new government. 260 00:16:10,036 --> 00:16:13,871 Officially, Saddam is made vice president. 261 00:16:13,940 --> 00:16:18,676 But with one eye on the future, he takes on another role-- 262 00:16:18,745 --> 00:16:21,512 one that many dictators have used 263 00:16:21,581 --> 00:16:24,549 to gain the upper hand over rivals and enemies. 264 00:16:27,654 --> 00:16:30,321 Controlling the secret police is important to the dictatorship 265 00:16:30,390 --> 00:16:32,490 because they need to know 266 00:16:32,559 --> 00:16:34,892 who the opponents are of the regime. 267 00:16:34,961 --> 00:16:37,495 They need to get access to really good information. 268 00:16:37,564 --> 00:16:40,531 They need to know who is loyal to the regime. 269 00:16:40,600 --> 00:16:43,935 And they need the secret police to do its dirty work. 270 00:16:44,004 --> 00:16:47,438 (narrator) Saddam's new security apparatus, known as the Mukhbarat, 271 00:16:47,507 --> 00:16:50,608 will later be compared to the Gestapo, 272 00:16:50,677 --> 00:16:54,078 the infamous and brutal secret police force 273 00:16:54,147 --> 00:16:56,848 of Adolf Hitler's Nazi regime. 274 00:16:56,916 --> 00:17:02,020 Their methods include espionage, intimidation, and terror, 275 00:17:02,088 --> 00:17:04,822 and are used to send a clear message-- 276 00:17:04,891 --> 00:17:08,526 be loyal to the dictator, or else. 277 00:17:08,595 --> 00:17:11,529 Saddam really believed in one thing; 278 00:17:11,598 --> 00:17:15,366 it has to be loyalty to 100%. 279 00:17:15,435 --> 00:17:19,337 It cannot be even 99%-- there is no such a thing. 280 00:17:21,641 --> 00:17:24,642 (narrator) Saddam uses the secret police 281 00:17:24,711 --> 00:17:27,445 to create an elaborate surveillance system 282 00:17:27,514 --> 00:17:30,581 to monitor private mail and telephone communications. 283 00:17:30,650 --> 00:17:35,019 Secret files are created for thousands of suspected traitors 284 00:17:35,088 --> 00:17:39,924 in the government, the military, and the public at large. 285 00:17:39,993 --> 00:17:43,828 (Joseph Sassoon) These are files about everyone. 286 00:17:43,897 --> 00:17:48,733 Saddam would write in the margins in his own handwriting, 287 00:17:48,802 --> 00:17:52,003 "to be kept for future reference." 288 00:17:52,072 --> 00:17:57,575 and if someone crosses Saddam or become disloyal to him, 289 00:17:57,644 --> 00:18:00,111 that's when this information will come up 290 00:18:00,180 --> 00:18:02,914 and be used against them. 291 00:18:02,982 --> 00:18:08,386 And that gives you an edge over them when you need it. 292 00:18:08,455 --> 00:18:11,489 (Hayder Atracki) They bugged our phones. 293 00:18:11,558 --> 00:18:14,826 They monitored all the phone calls. 294 00:18:14,894 --> 00:18:17,328 (narrator) Like many Iraqis, Hayder Atracki 295 00:18:17,397 --> 00:18:20,765 and his entire family lived for decades 296 00:18:20,834 --> 00:18:23,734 under the threat of Saddam's secret police. 297 00:18:23,803 --> 00:18:27,071 (Hayder Atracki) You are not free to talk. 298 00:18:27,140 --> 00:18:29,574 You can't talk against him. 299 00:18:29,642 --> 00:18:32,944 Always we were under eye of Saddam Hussein. 300 00:18:33,012 --> 00:18:36,314 Always, they are watching us. 301 00:18:36,382 --> 00:18:42,854 It's very dangerous-- if he feel you are a threat to him, 302 00:18:42,922 --> 00:18:45,223 you are gone-- that's it. 303 00:18:46,559 --> 00:18:49,227 (narrator) In 1969, 304 00:18:49,295 --> 00:18:51,996 barely a year into his tenure, 305 00:18:52,065 --> 00:18:55,466 Saddam will demonstrate the full power of his new position. 306 00:18:55,535 --> 00:18:58,402 He claims that his secret police 307 00:18:58,471 --> 00:19:01,172 have uncovered a broad conspiracy against the state. 308 00:19:01,241 --> 00:19:04,809 (Kanan Makaiya) And they pluck 13 people, 309 00:19:04,878 --> 00:19:07,678 as key conspirators supposedly. 310 00:19:07,747 --> 00:19:12,316 They make a great big public spectacle 311 00:19:12,385 --> 00:19:15,753 of the hanging of these 13 people. 312 00:19:15,822 --> 00:19:18,489 (narrator) The executions are announced on national radio. 313 00:19:18,558 --> 00:19:21,025 It's believed that as many as half a million Iraqis 314 00:19:21,094 --> 00:19:23,861 gather to watch in central Baghdad. 315 00:19:23,930 --> 00:19:26,497 (Natasha Ezrow) The reason why you make this public is, 316 00:19:26,566 --> 00:19:30,101 it has a very, very big psychological impact. 317 00:19:30,170 --> 00:19:34,138 It doesn't just affect the victims: it also affects anyone 318 00:19:34,207 --> 00:19:37,441 who might think about challenging the regime. 319 00:19:37,510 --> 00:19:41,979 (Kanan Makaiya) It was instilled in the mind of every Iraqi citizen 320 00:19:42,048 --> 00:19:47,718 that if they broke with what was expected of them, 321 00:19:47,787 --> 00:19:50,354 this would be the punishment they would receive. 322 00:19:50,423 --> 00:19:55,726 And it was the terror of that hanging over your life 323 00:19:55,795 --> 00:19:58,996 that was an enormous check on people's behavior. 324 00:20:01,100 --> 00:20:04,535 Dictators always want to create 325 00:20:04,604 --> 00:20:08,873 a sense that you might be picked up 326 00:20:08,942 --> 00:20:12,043 or if you do something wrong 327 00:20:12,111 --> 00:20:15,179 your mother might be interrogated. 328 00:20:15,248 --> 00:20:19,083 So they want to create this fear as a general rule. 329 00:20:19,152 --> 00:20:22,520 (narrator) By the end of the 1970s, 330 00:20:22,589 --> 00:20:26,791 as vice president and head of the secret police, 331 00:20:26,859 --> 00:20:30,261 Saddam has consolidated almost total control over Iraq. 332 00:20:30,330 --> 00:20:34,098 It ends up, he was able to use this platform 333 00:20:34,167 --> 00:20:36,300 to basically subvert everybody else 334 00:20:36,369 --> 00:20:40,037 and to make himself really the leader of Iraq. 335 00:20:40,106 --> 00:20:42,440 (narrator) After more than a decade 336 00:20:42,508 --> 00:20:45,977 as Iraqi vice president and head of the secret police, 337 00:20:46,045 --> 00:20:50,414 Saddam is ready to take the ultimate step to power. 338 00:20:50,483 --> 00:20:54,418 In July 1979, 339 00:20:54,487 --> 00:20:57,688 President Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr resigns, 340 00:20:57,757 --> 00:21:00,791 making way for his second in command. 341 00:21:00,860 --> 00:21:04,328 At just 42 years old, Saddam Hussein 342 00:21:04,397 --> 00:21:07,932 is now the undisputed leader of Iraq. 343 00:21:08,001 --> 00:21:10,968 He moves quickly to send a message to anyone 344 00:21:11,037 --> 00:21:13,237 who could challenge his new dictatorship, 345 00:21:13,306 --> 00:21:16,407 especially its biggest potential threat. 346 00:21:16,476 --> 00:21:20,211 The country's ruling elite. 347 00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:24,081 (Natasha Ezrow) Most of the time dictators are ousted in a coup 348 00:21:24,150 --> 00:21:26,584 or some sort of elite ousting or removal. 349 00:21:26,653 --> 00:21:30,221 And so the elites really hold the key. 350 00:21:30,290 --> 00:21:33,291 They are the big stumbling block for dictators 351 00:21:33,359 --> 00:21:35,960 in terms of holding themselves in power indefinitely. 352 00:21:36,029 --> 00:21:39,096 The elites are going to be the ones 353 00:21:39,165 --> 00:21:42,133 that are the biggest threat to any dictator. 354 00:21:42,201 --> 00:21:45,770 And so in the beginning, dictatorships are often 355 00:21:45,838 --> 00:21:49,273 highly repressive: trying to find out who is disloyal, 356 00:21:49,342 --> 00:21:53,044 who they can't trust and who they need to get rid of. 357 00:21:56,749 --> 00:22:00,584 (narrator) Just 5 days after taking office, Saddam calls a meeting 358 00:22:00,653 --> 00:22:02,620 of Iraq's senior governing elite, 359 00:22:02,689 --> 00:22:05,189 the Revolutionary Command Council. 360 00:22:05,258 --> 00:22:08,426 Saddam Hussein had 361 00:22:08,494 --> 00:22:11,362 this particular spectacle filmed in great length. 362 00:22:11,431 --> 00:22:15,800 [man repeats a word; applause] 363 00:22:15,868 --> 00:22:17,935 (narrator) Citing information he has 364 00:22:18,004 --> 00:22:20,805 accumulated from secret police, Saddam claims 365 00:22:20,873 --> 00:22:23,941 he has uncovered a conspiracy to overthrow his new regime. 366 00:22:24,010 --> 00:22:25,710 [Saddam speaks Arabic] 367 00:22:41,627 --> 00:22:44,662 (Joseph Sassoon) He begins by announcing 368 00:22:44,731 --> 00:22:47,298 that it really truly pains him 369 00:22:47,367 --> 00:22:50,868 to hear that people are plotting 370 00:22:50,937 --> 00:22:53,270 against him, against the country. 371 00:22:53,339 --> 00:22:55,706 And they are traitors. 372 00:22:55,775 --> 00:22:58,542 (narrator) He has an informant read 373 00:22:58,611 --> 00:23:00,811 the names of suspected traitors. 374 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:03,481 As each name is read aloud, 375 00:23:03,549 --> 00:23:06,283 a man is sent out of the auditorium 376 00:23:06,352 --> 00:23:08,719 and arrested by the secret police. 377 00:23:13,092 --> 00:23:16,026 (Joseph Sassoon) I think people realize 378 00:23:16,095 --> 00:23:20,398 nothing really truly matters except loyalty to him. 379 00:23:23,770 --> 00:23:26,704 (narrator) In a chilling twist, 380 00:23:26,773 --> 00:23:29,340 Saddam forces the remaining government officials 381 00:23:29,409 --> 00:23:32,042 to personally execute their arrested colleagues. 382 00:23:33,346 --> 00:23:35,579 [gunfire] 383 00:23:38,551 --> 00:23:42,620 Notice the kind of fiendish intelligence behind this. 384 00:23:42,655 --> 00:23:45,489 You are implicating them 385 00:23:45,558 --> 00:23:49,960 in your assent to the presidency of the republic. 386 00:23:50,029 --> 00:23:53,330 Complicity has essentially bound them to the regime. 387 00:23:53,399 --> 00:23:57,334 They can't escape it. 388 00:23:57,403 --> 00:24:02,173 (narrator) The film of the assembly is circulated around Iraq. 389 00:24:02,241 --> 00:24:06,744 This sent a very clear message that if you are not loyal to me, 390 00:24:06,813 --> 00:24:09,914 if you do not give me your undying support, 391 00:24:09,982 --> 00:24:11,816 I will kill you. 392 00:24:11,884 --> 00:24:15,219 [applause] 393 00:24:17,423 --> 00:24:19,490 (Joseph Sassoon) And that in my opinion 394 00:24:19,559 --> 00:24:23,127 established him in the party 395 00:24:23,196 --> 00:24:27,164 as the unconditional leader. 396 00:24:30,436 --> 00:24:33,370 (narrator) Saddam has relied on fear and violence 397 00:24:33,439 --> 00:24:35,973 to establish his authority over the elites. 398 00:24:36,042 --> 00:24:38,409 But to win their continued support, 399 00:24:38,478 --> 00:24:40,811 he will need to use a softer touch. 400 00:24:44,350 --> 00:24:47,918 (Natasha Ezrow) No dictator can survive with just repression alone, 401 00:24:47,987 --> 00:24:51,188 they're going to have to employ a strategy 402 00:24:51,257 --> 00:24:54,191 of not just sticks, but also carrots. 403 00:24:54,260 --> 00:24:57,294 (narrator) Saddam begins to use public funds 404 00:24:57,363 --> 00:25:00,831 to keep the ruling class happy. 405 00:25:00,900 --> 00:25:04,001 Almost everyone in Saddam's inner circle, 406 00:25:04,070 --> 00:25:06,537 including his closest political advisers 407 00:25:06,606 --> 00:25:11,542 and a small army of bodyguards, is given a luxury car. 408 00:25:11,611 --> 00:25:14,378 (John Nixon) The people around Saddam were very loyal 409 00:25:14,447 --> 00:25:16,947 and they had reason to be loyal 410 00:25:17,016 --> 00:25:19,517 because the well-being of them and their families 411 00:25:19,585 --> 00:25:23,354 was connected to the well-being of the regime. 412 00:25:23,422 --> 00:25:28,158 (narrator) With the loyalty of the elites secure for now, Saddam knows 413 00:25:28,227 --> 00:25:33,898 he has to keep the Iraqi public on his side as well. 414 00:25:33,966 --> 00:25:37,134 Taking advantage of Iraq's growing oil wealth, 415 00:25:37,203 --> 00:25:41,372 Saddam funds a series of economic and social programs 416 00:25:41,440 --> 00:25:43,774 designed to benefit average citizens. 417 00:25:43,843 --> 00:25:47,978 Overall you could argue that this was the period 418 00:25:48,047 --> 00:25:50,881 that really the Iraqi people 419 00:25:50,950 --> 00:25:53,784 benefited from the dramatic economic progress. 420 00:25:53,853 --> 00:25:57,688 There is a lot of money coming in 421 00:25:57,757 --> 00:26:00,457 which was used for infrastructure. 422 00:26:00,526 --> 00:26:05,029 (narrator) Iraq provides free, universal healthcare, 423 00:26:05,097 --> 00:26:07,531 free university education, 424 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:12,336 and equal rights for women. 425 00:26:12,405 --> 00:26:16,740 (Joseph Sassoon) And that is the empowerment he gave to women. 426 00:26:16,809 --> 00:26:19,910 More women are entering the universities, 427 00:26:19,979 --> 00:26:22,980 more job opportunities for women. 428 00:26:23,049 --> 00:26:27,318 He believes that if he gains the support of women, 429 00:26:27,386 --> 00:26:31,155 he will have 50% of the population. 430 00:26:31,223 --> 00:26:33,290 (narrator) Above all, Saddam wants the public to see 431 00:26:33,359 --> 00:26:35,559 his dictatorship as the source 432 00:26:35,628 --> 00:26:40,364 of a more modern, more prosperous nation. 433 00:26:40,433 --> 00:26:45,235 Many people want stability, they want predictability. 434 00:26:45,304 --> 00:26:49,306 They want to be assured that they are going to be taken care of. 435 00:26:49,375 --> 00:26:51,342 And that's something that dictatorships provide. 436 00:26:51,410 --> 00:26:54,511 This really ensures that the masses feel 437 00:26:54,580 --> 00:26:57,715 that there is a need for this dictatorship. 438 00:26:57,783 --> 00:27:00,050 [extremely loud cheering] 439 00:27:00,119 --> 00:27:03,053 (narrator) With both an iron fist and a giving hand, 440 00:27:03,122 --> 00:27:05,322 Saddam has gained control 441 00:27:05,391 --> 00:27:08,692 over Iraq's elite and the broader public. 442 00:27:08,761 --> 00:27:10,861 His new dictatorship seems rock solid. 443 00:27:14,300 --> 00:27:17,201 (narrator) But in 1980, 444 00:27:17,269 --> 00:27:19,970 a new danger appears on the horizon, 445 00:27:20,039 --> 00:27:24,541 one that will directly threaten his rule. 446 00:27:24,610 --> 00:27:27,444 A recent revolution in neighboring Iran 447 00:27:27,513 --> 00:27:30,047 has overthrown its monarchy. 448 00:27:30,116 --> 00:27:34,785 In its place, a new Islamic republic has been established 449 00:27:34,854 --> 00:27:37,888 under the radical Muslim leader, Ayatollah Khomeini. 450 00:27:37,957 --> 00:27:45,529 The rise of Khomeini in Iran is very disturbing to him 451 00:27:45,598 --> 00:27:49,967 because of the extreme religious philosophy. 452 00:27:50,036 --> 00:27:52,970 (narrator) The Ayatollah believes in theocratic rule-- 453 00:27:53,039 --> 00:27:55,873 that Iran, and the entire Middle Eastern world, 454 00:27:55,941 --> 00:27:59,043 should be run strictly by religious law. 455 00:27:59,111 --> 00:28:02,012 Khomeini publicly calls for a revolution in Iraq; 456 00:28:02,081 --> 00:28:05,783 he urges Shia Iraqis to rise up 457 00:28:05,851 --> 00:28:09,153 against Saddam's regime and build a new Islamic republic. 458 00:28:09,221 --> 00:28:13,891 It's a challenge Saddam can't ignore. 459 00:28:13,959 --> 00:28:16,694 To face this threat to his power, 460 00:28:16,762 --> 00:28:19,430 and unite his public behind him, 461 00:28:19,498 --> 00:28:21,398 he turns to another classic dictator's tactic. 462 00:28:24,770 --> 00:28:29,173 One of the important tools for any dictatorship 463 00:28:29,241 --> 00:28:32,676 is to create an enemy; either it's imagined 464 00:28:32,745 --> 00:28:35,746 and sometimes maybe it is actually real. 465 00:28:35,815 --> 00:28:39,083 But they need to have some sort of enemy 466 00:28:39,151 --> 00:28:41,952 that they can use as a scapegoat. 467 00:28:42,021 --> 00:28:46,123 And that is one way they can unite the masses 468 00:28:46,192 --> 00:28:48,826 to be committed to the particular dictatorship. 469 00:28:48,894 --> 00:28:52,362 (narrator) For Saddam, the enemy is very real. 470 00:28:52,431 --> 00:28:54,765 He begins telling the Iraqi public 471 00:28:54,834 --> 00:28:57,868 that Iran is out to destroy modern Iraq 472 00:28:57,937 --> 00:29:01,004 and turn it into a medieval religious state 473 00:29:01,073 --> 00:29:04,108 and that he alone can stop this from happening. 474 00:29:04,176 --> 00:29:07,745 That external enemy is a threat, 475 00:29:07,813 --> 00:29:11,515 these people are out to get us. 476 00:29:11,584 --> 00:29:16,787 We have to get them before they get us. 477 00:29:16,856 --> 00:29:21,358 (narrator) Saddam expels some 35,000 Iraqi citizens of Iranian origin, 478 00:29:21,427 --> 00:29:24,261 claiming they are part of the Ayatollah's plan 479 00:29:24,330 --> 00:29:28,132 to topple his regime. 480 00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:32,569 He also plans a bold preemptive strike against Iran. 481 00:29:32,638 --> 00:29:35,939 It's purpose-- to remove the Ayatollah 482 00:29:36,008 --> 00:29:37,775 before the Ayatollah removes him. 483 00:29:40,146 --> 00:29:42,513 [rapid gunfire] 484 00:29:42,581 --> 00:29:45,516 On September 22, 1980, 485 00:29:45,584 --> 00:29:47,785 Iraqi forces cross the border into Iran. 486 00:29:50,689 --> 00:29:55,025 Saddam believes victory will come in a matter of days. 487 00:29:55,094 --> 00:29:58,295 But the invasion quickly stalls 488 00:29:58,364 --> 00:30:00,998 and becomes a bloody war of attrition. 489 00:30:03,569 --> 00:30:05,803 (narrator) In 1982, 490 00:30:05,871 --> 00:30:08,372 two years into the war, 491 00:30:08,440 --> 00:30:11,975 Saddam gets some vital help from an unexpected source-- 492 00:30:12,044 --> 00:30:15,112 the United States government. 493 00:30:15,181 --> 00:30:19,016 The Americans, under President Ronald Reagan, 494 00:30:19,084 --> 00:30:21,885 see Saddam as a secular Arab nationalist 495 00:30:21,954 --> 00:30:24,087 providing the last line of defense 496 00:30:24,156 --> 00:30:28,458 against Iran's religious extremism. 497 00:30:28,527 --> 00:30:33,397 Remember, Iran was already an enemy of the United States 498 00:30:33,465 --> 00:30:39,136 since the kidnapping of the members of the U.S. Embassy. 499 00:30:42,007 --> 00:30:46,743 I think that the Americans thought, here is a man 500 00:30:46,812 --> 00:30:50,681 who is obviously antireligious, anticommunist. 501 00:30:50,749 --> 00:30:53,851 He is willing to share 502 00:30:53,919 --> 00:30:58,088 the same ideals economically with the West. 503 00:30:58,157 --> 00:31:00,390 (narrator) The CIA actively begins 504 00:31:00,459 --> 00:31:03,160 to encourage and aid Saddam's war with the Ayatollah. 505 00:31:07,166 --> 00:31:12,803 I think there was definitely the American support to Iraq, 506 00:31:12,872 --> 00:31:17,407 a lot of intelligence was exchanged, 507 00:31:17,476 --> 00:31:20,777 photos of bases, 508 00:31:20,846 --> 00:31:25,282 a lot of information about Iranian units were given. 509 00:31:28,254 --> 00:31:33,123 And there was a belief that he might win. 510 00:31:33,192 --> 00:31:36,760 (narrator) But the American aid is not enough to get Saddam 511 00:31:36,829 --> 00:31:38,528 the quick victory he was hoping for. 512 00:31:41,667 --> 00:31:48,605 As casualties continue to mount, Saddam offers Iran a cease-fire. 513 00:31:48,674 --> 00:31:52,309 The Ayatollah rejects the offer 514 00:31:52,378 --> 00:31:55,545 and vows to keep fighting until Saddam is overthrown. 515 00:31:58,150 --> 00:32:00,584 (Natasha Ezrow) And so when this happened, 516 00:32:00,653 --> 00:32:02,886 one of Saddam Hussein's ministers 517 00:32:02,955 --> 00:32:05,656 suggested to him "Why don't you step down temporarily, 518 00:32:05,724 --> 00:32:09,293 and then after the truce has been accepted, 519 00:32:09,361 --> 00:32:12,229 you can return to power." 520 00:32:12,298 --> 00:32:16,333 Saddam Hussein thanked him for his service, 521 00:32:16,402 --> 00:32:23,073 and then the next day his body arrived in a duffel bag, 522 00:32:23,142 --> 00:32:26,209 delivered to his wife, and it was chopped up into pieces. 523 00:32:26,278 --> 00:32:29,413 And that sent a very clear message. 524 00:32:29,481 --> 00:32:33,250 You have to be loyal to him or else you will face 525 00:32:33,319 --> 00:32:36,286 some of the most horrible things that you can imagine facing. 526 00:32:36,355 --> 00:32:40,624 You couldn't even give any kind of inkling 527 00:32:40,693 --> 00:32:43,627 that you challenged him. 528 00:32:43,696 --> 00:32:47,998 Every single thing that you said had to comply with his wishes. 529 00:32:53,005 --> 00:32:55,439 He wanted people to tell them 530 00:32:55,507 --> 00:32:57,741 that the military was stronger than ever 531 00:32:57,810 --> 00:32:59,977 and that they were defeating their enemies 532 00:33:00,045 --> 00:33:03,180 even though this was far from the truth. 533 00:33:03,248 --> 00:33:06,750 And that helps explain, to some extent, 534 00:33:06,819 --> 00:33:09,353 why Saddam Hussein was so delusional. 535 00:33:09,421 --> 00:33:11,588 He was surrounded by sycophants 536 00:33:11,657 --> 00:33:13,724 that told him exactly what he wanted to hear. 537 00:33:16,128 --> 00:33:18,829 (narrator) Over the next 8 years, 538 00:33:18,897 --> 00:33:22,733 as many as 500,000 Iraqis will die. 539 00:33:22,801 --> 00:33:27,004 Almost every Iraqi family suffers a personal loss. 540 00:33:27,072 --> 00:33:30,774 For Saddam, the sheer scale of the war with Iran 541 00:33:30,843 --> 00:33:34,478 has weakened his grip on power at home. 542 00:33:34,546 --> 00:33:38,081 He is about to face any dictator's worst nightmare... 543 00:33:38,150 --> 00:33:40,484 open rebellion. 544 00:33:40,552 --> 00:33:44,187 Sensing an opportunity, 545 00:33:44,256 --> 00:33:47,824 the Kurds, one of Iraq's largest ethnic minorities, 546 00:33:47,893 --> 00:33:50,494 rise up against the dictatorship, 547 00:33:50,562 --> 00:33:54,998 they seize the town of Halabja near the border with Iran. 548 00:33:55,067 --> 00:33:59,669 In response, Saddam will resort to violence yet again. 549 00:33:59,738 --> 00:34:03,040 But this time, it's a unique kind of violence 550 00:34:03,108 --> 00:34:06,209 with a dual purpose-- to crush an immediate threat 551 00:34:06,278 --> 00:34:08,712 and deter any future challenge. 552 00:34:11,483 --> 00:34:15,552 Terror is the indiscriminate and arbitrary use of force 553 00:34:15,621 --> 00:34:19,589 that can incite fear in the hearts of people. 554 00:34:19,658 --> 00:34:24,428 That fear can be used by the dictator to advance his goals. 555 00:34:24,496 --> 00:34:27,764 Now terror is the kind of unique brutal violence 556 00:34:27,833 --> 00:34:31,168 that people tend to remember, and it leaves 557 00:34:31,236 --> 00:34:33,837 a lasting impression on the minds of people. 558 00:34:33,906 --> 00:34:37,174 (narrator) In March 1988, 559 00:34:37,242 --> 00:34:39,743 Saddam orders his military commanders 560 00:34:39,812 --> 00:34:42,245 to crush the Kurdish rebellion. 561 00:34:42,314 --> 00:34:44,981 The air force launches an attack on Halabja. 562 00:34:49,221 --> 00:34:53,090 An 11 year-old Iraqi Kurd, Kamaran Haider, 563 00:34:53,158 --> 00:34:56,059 takes refuge alone in a bomb shelter. 564 00:35:03,902 --> 00:35:06,770 (narrator) But some of the bombs are unconventional, 565 00:35:06,839 --> 00:35:10,240 they are filled with poison gas. 566 00:35:10,309 --> 00:35:15,112 Men, women, and children succumb to Sarin and mustard gas. 567 00:35:15,180 --> 00:35:19,082 It is a horrible death. 568 00:35:19,151 --> 00:35:23,253 In the aftermath, Kamaran Haider goes outside 569 00:35:23,322 --> 00:35:25,856 to search for his family, 570 00:35:25,924 --> 00:35:29,059 and see what Saddam's military has done. 571 00:35:29,128 --> 00:35:31,561 [Kamaran Haider speaks] 572 00:36:01,693 --> 00:36:06,096 (narrator) In all, some 5,000 of Saddam's own citizens are killed. 573 00:36:09,201 --> 00:36:11,902 Another 10,000 are horribly injured. 574 00:36:14,940 --> 00:36:17,607 Just as Saddam intended, 575 00:36:17,676 --> 00:36:21,444 the attack solves two problems for his regime. 576 00:36:21,513 --> 00:36:25,849 It reminds Iraqis of the price to be paid for rebellion. 577 00:36:25,918 --> 00:36:30,420 And it sends a powerful message to Saddam's mortal enemy, Iran. 578 00:36:30,489 --> 00:36:32,589 That, of course, instills terror. 579 00:36:32,658 --> 00:36:35,692 And then he manipulated it and worked with it. 580 00:36:35,761 --> 00:36:38,061 (narrator) Iran's leaders now fear 581 00:36:38,130 --> 00:36:41,398 Saddam could unleash chemical weapons on their cities. 582 00:36:41,466 --> 00:36:45,335 They agree to begin UN brokered cease-fire negotiations. 583 00:36:48,240 --> 00:36:52,909 After 8 years of brutal fighting, the war ends 584 00:36:52,978 --> 00:36:56,213 with neither side achieving any territorial gains. 585 00:36:56,281 --> 00:36:58,315 (Kanan Makaiya) An 8-year-long war, 586 00:36:58,383 --> 00:37:01,351 a human meat grinder if there ever was one, 587 00:37:01,420 --> 00:37:04,654 a war that in its impact and scope on the region 588 00:37:04,723 --> 00:37:07,958 as big as World War I on the countries that waged it. 589 00:37:08,026 --> 00:37:12,295 I mean, it results in a million dead. 590 00:37:12,364 --> 00:37:15,098 (narrator) But within days of the cease-fire, 591 00:37:15,167 --> 00:37:18,301 as he has done before, Saddam props up his dictatorship 592 00:37:18,370 --> 00:37:20,470 by spinning failure into triumph. 593 00:37:22,908 --> 00:37:25,308 Dictators in general, 594 00:37:25,377 --> 00:37:27,711 tend to use propaganda to generate a false reality. 595 00:37:27,779 --> 00:37:30,747 It is the ultimate fake news. 596 00:37:30,816 --> 00:37:34,484 And Saddam really wanted to convince the people 597 00:37:34,553 --> 00:37:38,088 that he was a great military leader. 598 00:37:38,156 --> 00:37:40,824 He really wanted them to believe that everything 599 00:37:40,892 --> 00:37:44,194 that he had done was for the best of the country. 600 00:37:44,263 --> 00:37:47,964 However, in reality, the war was a total disaster 601 00:37:48,033 --> 00:37:49,599 and Iraq suffered many losses. 602 00:37:54,106 --> 00:37:58,942 (Joseph Sassoon) He announces that it is a holiday. 603 00:37:59,011 --> 00:38:03,046 I want every Iraqi to celebrate. 604 00:38:06,118 --> 00:38:10,253 And that is really one of the things about Saddam-- 605 00:38:10,322 --> 00:38:14,991 how you can turn a war that is really not successful, 606 00:38:15,060 --> 00:38:17,894 to a successful ending. 607 00:38:17,963 --> 00:38:21,364 [people cheering] 608 00:38:21,433 --> 00:38:24,234 (Fathali Moghaddam) We see this illusion of control, 609 00:38:24,303 --> 00:38:26,736 and of course, we see 610 00:38:26,805 --> 00:38:31,241 an increased exaggeration of their own glory, 611 00:38:31,310 --> 00:38:33,410 of their own abilities. 612 00:38:35,647 --> 00:38:38,348 (narrator) But the sham victory celebrations 613 00:38:38,417 --> 00:38:41,184 are just a temporary distraction from a new problem... 614 00:38:43,422 --> 00:38:46,623 the war has left his regime nearly bankrupt. 615 00:38:46,692 --> 00:38:50,293 This was really a huge issue. 616 00:38:50,362 --> 00:38:56,299 Saddam never needed money as much as he needed in 1988. 617 00:38:59,104 --> 00:39:01,671 (narrator) After the 8-year war with Iran, 618 00:39:01,740 --> 00:39:04,874 Iraq is billions of dollars in debt to its neighbors, 619 00:39:04,943 --> 00:39:08,278 especially Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. 620 00:39:08,347 --> 00:39:12,449 Saddam demands the debts be forgiven. 621 00:39:12,517 --> 00:39:15,385 The response from the gulf Arab countries, 622 00:39:15,454 --> 00:39:17,587 especially from Kuwait was, 623 00:39:17,656 --> 00:39:20,290 no, we're not going to forgive the loan. 624 00:39:20,359 --> 00:39:24,527 And Saddam felt very insulted by this, 625 00:39:24,596 --> 00:39:28,498 because he felt that he had bled for them, 626 00:39:28,567 --> 00:39:33,603 and now he was being treated like a beggar. 627 00:39:33,672 --> 00:39:37,574 I think it hurt his sense of pride and honor, 628 00:39:37,642 --> 00:39:41,311 and I think he thought he wanted to teach them a lesson, 629 00:39:41,380 --> 00:39:43,380 particularly wanted to teach the Kuwaiti's a lesson. 630 00:39:46,118 --> 00:39:49,652 (narrator) Saddam outlines a plan 631 00:39:49,721 --> 00:39:52,188 to invade and annex Iraq's neighbor, Kuwait. 632 00:39:55,427 --> 00:39:59,629 He believes Kuwait's cash and oil reserves could prop up 633 00:39:59,698 --> 00:40:02,098 Iraq's failing economy and strengthen his regime. 634 00:40:02,167 --> 00:40:04,701 But it's a move that will break 635 00:40:04,770 --> 00:40:07,036 a cardinal rule of a successful dictatorship-- 636 00:40:07,105 --> 00:40:10,206 never provoke an enemy you can't hope to beat. 637 00:40:10,275 --> 00:40:13,143 Saddam is about to pick a fight with some powerful foes. 638 00:40:17,816 --> 00:40:23,386 His sense of wanting to show strength 639 00:40:23,455 --> 00:40:27,557 really truly dominates his thinking all the time. 640 00:40:27,626 --> 00:40:32,128 This always tilts him to take action 641 00:40:32,197 --> 00:40:35,799 that actually is counterproductive. 642 00:40:35,867 --> 00:40:39,202 (narrator) August 2, 1990. 643 00:40:39,271 --> 00:40:42,272 Saddam's army invades Kuwait. 644 00:40:45,343 --> 00:40:49,179 Leaders in the West warn that the invasion 645 00:40:49,247 --> 00:40:54,217 could spark a wider war in the Middle East, drawing in 646 00:40:54,286 --> 00:40:57,120 key oil-producing nations like Saudi Arabia, 647 00:40:57,189 --> 00:41:01,758 and jeopardizing some 50% of the global oil supply. 648 00:41:01,827 --> 00:41:04,327 The response to Saddam's aggression 649 00:41:04,396 --> 00:41:06,830 is swift and near unanimous. 650 00:41:09,601 --> 00:41:12,168 And the American goodwill Saddam enjoyed 651 00:41:12,237 --> 00:41:14,504 during the Iran/Iraq war is wiped out. 652 00:41:16,675 --> 00:41:18,875 President George H.W. Bush, 653 00:41:18,944 --> 00:41:22,011 with the full backing of the United Nations, 654 00:41:22,080 --> 00:41:25,048 sends an enormous ground, naval, and air force 655 00:41:25,116 --> 00:41:27,350 halfway around the world to the Persian Gulf. 656 00:41:31,323 --> 00:41:34,424 Saddam's strong-arm tactics have always served him well at home, 657 00:41:34,493 --> 00:41:37,560 but to the rest of the world, 658 00:41:37,629 --> 00:41:40,330 his methods are a dangerous provocation. 659 00:41:40,398 --> 00:41:45,168 He's about to face an opponent that will not be bullied. 660 00:41:45,237 --> 00:41:47,737 (Kanan Makaiya) I think he was very smart, 661 00:41:47,806 --> 00:41:49,939 but he had street smarts. 662 00:41:50,008 --> 00:41:52,509 And he had Iraqi street smarts. 663 00:41:52,577 --> 00:41:55,912 You know, street smarts only work in the streets that you know. 664 00:41:55,981 --> 00:41:59,415 So he did not perhaps understand the world, 665 00:41:59,484 --> 00:42:02,352 I'm pretty sure of that. He misjudged phenomenally 666 00:42:02,420 --> 00:42:04,988 what the United States might or might not do. 667 00:42:08,193 --> 00:42:12,562 Saddam really misunderstands the West, international affairs, 668 00:42:12,631 --> 00:42:16,633 time and again, and of course, 669 00:42:16,701 --> 00:42:21,037 this begins a series of catastrophic mistakes. 670 00:42:21,106 --> 00:42:24,407 (narrator) On January 16th, 1991, 671 00:42:24,476 --> 00:42:28,745 the American-led coalition makes Saddam pay for his aggression. 672 00:42:28,813 --> 00:42:32,982 [jet engines roar; extremely loud explosions] 673 00:42:33,051 --> 00:42:35,652 Operation Desert Storm begins. 674 00:42:37,956 --> 00:42:40,523 For the first time in his dictatorship, 675 00:42:40,592 --> 00:42:43,459 Saddam is truly vulnerable. 676 00:42:43,528 --> 00:42:45,728 He goes deep into hiding, 677 00:42:45,797 --> 00:42:48,331 moving to a new location every day. 678 00:42:51,403 --> 00:42:54,737 Within weeks, 679 00:42:54,806 --> 00:42:57,640 the American led coalition force crushes Saddam's army. 680 00:43:01,913 --> 00:43:07,383 What's left of it limps back across the border to Iraq. 681 00:43:07,452 --> 00:43:10,720 (Pres. George H.W. Bush) As president, I can report to the nation, 682 00:43:10,789 --> 00:43:14,524 aggression is defeated, the war is over. 683 00:43:14,593 --> 00:43:16,526 [loud applause] 684 00:43:18,730 --> 00:43:21,531 Thank you! 685 00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:25,401 (narrator) But Saddam gets an extraordinarily lucky break. 686 00:43:25,470 --> 00:43:28,705 UN forces had orders to liberate Kuwait, 687 00:43:28,773 --> 00:43:32,709 not to bring down his regime. 688 00:43:32,777 --> 00:43:36,279 The coalition forces withdraw, 689 00:43:36,348 --> 00:43:38,881 and Saddam emerges from hiding. 690 00:43:38,950 --> 00:43:42,218 He has survived, 691 00:43:42,287 --> 00:43:45,154 but his dictatorship hangs by a thread. 692 00:43:45,223 --> 00:43:47,557 (John Nixon) When it came to Kuwait, 693 00:43:47,626 --> 00:43:51,027 he sort of put his hands up to his head and rubbed his eyes. 694 00:43:51,096 --> 00:43:53,830 And just said oh, this gives me such a headache! 695 00:43:53,898 --> 00:43:57,100 And ah, and that was as close to an admission of failure 696 00:43:57,168 --> 00:43:59,135 or that he had made a mistake. 697 00:43:59,204 --> 00:44:02,138 Things weren't the same after that. 698 00:44:02,207 --> 00:44:04,674 (narrator) From this moment on, 699 00:44:04,743 --> 00:44:07,777 Saddam has a target on his back. 700 00:44:07,846 --> 00:44:10,513 Surviving the Gulf War isn't a victory, 701 00:44:10,582 --> 00:44:12,515 it's a stay of execution. 702 00:44:14,352 --> 00:44:16,986 [shouting a command] 703 00:44:17,055 --> 00:44:19,722 (narrator) As Saddam will soon find out, 704 00:44:19,791 --> 00:44:23,359 he remains in the crosshairs of the United States. 705 00:44:23,428 --> 00:44:26,629 I believe that the George W. Bush administration 706 00:44:26,698 --> 00:44:30,266 felt that Saddam was unfinished business but wasn't quite sure 707 00:44:30,335 --> 00:44:33,970 what it was going to do to remove him from power. 708 00:44:34,039 --> 00:44:36,439 Thank you for coming. 709 00:44:36,508 --> 00:44:40,043 (narrator) The answer to this problem is provided in September, 2001. 710 00:44:40,111 --> 00:44:42,645 [whistle of jet engines then loud explosion] 711 00:44:46,451 --> 00:44:49,085 (John Nixon) After 9/11 that was all that they needed. 712 00:44:51,489 --> 00:44:54,557 [screaming] 713 00:44:54,626 --> 00:44:57,293 That is the day that Saddam's death warrant gets signed. 714 00:45:00,265 --> 00:45:04,267 (narrator) The United States declares an international war on terror. 715 00:45:04,335 --> 00:45:11,207 After moving on Afghanistan, it sets its sights on Saddam. 716 00:45:11,276 --> 00:45:15,244 To build the case against him, the Bush administration alleges 717 00:45:15,313 --> 00:45:18,514 that Saddam has weapons of mass destruction 718 00:45:18,583 --> 00:45:23,152 and plans to use them on America and its allies. 719 00:45:23,221 --> 00:45:27,256 Saddam must give them up or risk invasion. 720 00:45:27,325 --> 00:45:31,327 In fact, Saddam has no such weapons, 721 00:45:31,396 --> 00:45:33,930 but his old strong-man instincts 722 00:45:33,998 --> 00:45:37,066 cultivated since childhood lead him 723 00:45:37,135 --> 00:45:39,402 to project strength rather than tell the truth. 724 00:45:43,808 --> 00:45:47,443 To international weapons inspectors, he lies, 725 00:45:47,512 --> 00:45:52,915 obfuscates, and behaves as if he actually has an arsenal of WMDs. 726 00:45:52,984 --> 00:45:56,552 Weakness was really critical. 727 00:45:56,621 --> 00:46:00,823 That's one of the reasons that he never declared 728 00:46:00,892 --> 00:46:03,793 that there were no weapons of mass destruction, 729 00:46:03,862 --> 00:46:06,028 because that was showing weakness, 730 00:46:06,097 --> 00:46:09,932 to the Iraqi people and to the world. 731 00:46:10,001 --> 00:46:13,870 (narrator) In the face of Saddam's obstruction and arrogance, 732 00:46:13,938 --> 00:46:17,039 President Bush concludes the time for talk is over. 733 00:46:21,880 --> 00:46:26,382 On March 20th, 2003, 734 00:46:26,451 --> 00:46:30,653 American and British forces launch Operation Iraqi Freedom, 735 00:46:30,722 --> 00:46:33,556 a massive air and ground assault. 736 00:46:33,625 --> 00:46:36,826 Unlike the Gulf War, 737 00:46:36,895 --> 00:46:40,463 this is a no-holds-barred invasion with one purpose-- 738 00:46:40,532 --> 00:46:44,500 bringing down Saddam and his regime. 739 00:46:44,569 --> 00:46:48,671 Iraq has been under Saddam's control since the 1970s. 740 00:46:48,740 --> 00:46:52,842 Now, a generation later, 741 00:46:52,911 --> 00:46:55,812 his rule has finally come to end. 742 00:46:59,517 --> 00:47:02,485 But even in the face of total defeat, 743 00:47:02,554 --> 00:47:05,288 Saddam refuses to give up. 744 00:47:05,356 --> 00:47:08,958 Once again, he goes deep into hiding. 745 00:47:09,027 --> 00:47:11,661 (John Nixon) He had a very strong feeling 746 00:47:11,729 --> 00:47:14,463 that he was the leader of Iraq, 747 00:47:14,532 --> 00:47:17,767 he belonged in Iraq, and he will survive this. 748 00:47:17,836 --> 00:47:21,671 The American's will tire, and then they'll leave, 749 00:47:21,739 --> 00:47:23,506 and he'll live another day. 750 00:47:26,644 --> 00:47:30,179 (narrator) But Saddam has misjudged his enemy once again. 751 00:47:30,248 --> 00:47:31,480 [engine roars] 752 00:47:31,549 --> 00:47:33,382 [loud explosion] 753 00:47:33,451 --> 00:47:37,954 An elite task force is ordered to hunt him down. 754 00:47:38,022 --> 00:47:41,824 Navy SEALS and Delta Force units search house-to-house, 755 00:47:41,893 --> 00:47:44,260 arresting and interrogating Saddam's former associates. 756 00:47:44,329 --> 00:47:48,798 The U.S. military also offers a $25 million reward 757 00:47:48,867 --> 00:47:51,767 for information leading to his capture. 758 00:47:51,836 --> 00:47:56,505 But no one is willing to give him up. 759 00:47:56,574 --> 00:48:00,042 Saddam may be beaten and on the run, 760 00:48:00,111 --> 00:48:04,914 but most Iraqis still believe he is too dangerous to betray. 761 00:48:04,983 --> 00:48:08,651 And to remain at large, Saddam doubles down 762 00:48:08,720 --> 00:48:11,621 on his old tactics of bribery, threats, and deception. 763 00:48:15,426 --> 00:48:18,861 (John Nixon) One of the things that Saddam did that was very clever, 764 00:48:18,930 --> 00:48:22,031 and it shows you his street smarts and his genius 765 00:48:22,100 --> 00:48:24,333 when it comes to his own personal safety, 766 00:48:24,402 --> 00:48:26,936 he took a lot of his usual bodyguards 767 00:48:27,005 --> 00:48:30,072 and switched them out and brought in a new set 768 00:48:30,141 --> 00:48:32,708 that were unknown to foreign intelligence agencies, 769 00:48:32,777 --> 00:48:35,845 and people had been watching his regime for years, 770 00:48:35,914 --> 00:48:38,047 and these individuals, we didn't know anything about them. 771 00:48:41,219 --> 00:48:43,452 (narrator) After 9 months of searching, 772 00:48:43,521 --> 00:48:46,489 some 600 operations against possible targets, 773 00:48:46,557 --> 00:48:49,425 and more than 300 interrogations, 774 00:48:49,494 --> 00:48:52,061 the task force catches a break. 775 00:48:55,033 --> 00:48:59,635 They found one of the bodyguards one of the chief bodyguards 776 00:48:59,704 --> 00:49:06,475 who, you know, decided to give him up and got a big payday. 777 00:49:08,546 --> 00:49:11,247 (narrator) December 13th, 8:30 pm, 778 00:49:11,316 --> 00:49:14,817 acting on the chief bodyguard's tip, 779 00:49:14,886 --> 00:49:18,988 U.S. Special Forces discover Saddam's hiding place. 780 00:49:19,057 --> 00:49:23,059 He is found in a hole in the ground, 781 00:49:23,127 --> 00:49:26,128 just miles from his birthplace. 782 00:49:26,197 --> 00:49:31,167 Ironically, his life has come full circle. 783 00:49:34,806 --> 00:49:39,241 (John Nixon) it was quite a night, there was a real buzz in the station, 784 00:49:39,310 --> 00:49:42,278 and everybody was very excited, and we had gotten a message 785 00:49:42,347 --> 00:49:44,113 that the military thought they had Saddam Hussein, 786 00:49:44,182 --> 00:49:46,282 but they weren't completely sure, 787 00:49:46,351 --> 00:49:49,518 and that's when I got asked to identify him. 788 00:49:49,587 --> 00:49:55,191 The minute I laid eyes on him, I knew it was him. 789 00:49:55,259 --> 00:49:58,661 (narrator) Even under heavily armed American military guard, 790 00:49:58,730 --> 00:50:02,565 Saddam still believes there is a way out. 791 00:50:02,633 --> 00:50:05,368 He didn't show any signs 792 00:50:05,436 --> 00:50:08,471 of a person having their world turned upside down, 793 00:50:08,539 --> 00:50:11,841 he didn't seem panicked. 794 00:50:11,909 --> 00:50:16,178 He still had this sense that he was still president of Iraq. 795 00:50:16,247 --> 00:50:22,985 Deep down he always harbored a hope, I think, that somehow 796 00:50:23,054 --> 00:50:25,855 the American's would come to their senses, 797 00:50:25,923 --> 00:50:30,726 and he'd be able to cut a deal, and I think that deep down, 798 00:50:30,795 --> 00:50:32,995 he still was kind of hoping for a miracle. 799 00:50:35,867 --> 00:50:38,667 (narrator) Charged with crimes against humanity, 800 00:50:38,736 --> 00:50:42,071 Saddam is publicly tried in an Iraqi court. 801 00:50:42,140 --> 00:50:44,407 Defiant to the end. 802 00:50:44,475 --> 00:50:47,743 [Saddam speaks Arabic] 803 00:50:47,812 --> 00:50:52,148 (narrator) He rails against the court, even as he is found 804 00:50:52,216 --> 00:50:54,383 guilty on all counts, and sentenced to death. 805 00:50:59,157 --> 00:51:01,357 (John Nixon) He thought he would be 806 00:51:01,426 --> 00:51:03,626 remembered very, very positively. 807 00:51:03,694 --> 00:51:06,796 He seemed to feel that the Iraqi people loved him, 808 00:51:06,864 --> 00:51:09,999 that they will always love him, and that they will see, 809 00:51:10,068 --> 00:51:12,268 especially what happens after he's gone, 810 00:51:12,336 --> 00:51:15,037 they will see that, how much he did for them. 811 00:51:18,910 --> 00:51:22,945 [chanting] 812 00:51:23,014 --> 00:51:26,148 (narrator) December 30, 2006. 813 00:51:26,217 --> 00:51:30,719 At the age of 69, Saddam Hussein meets the same brutal fate 814 00:51:30,788 --> 00:51:33,089 he had handed out to so many of his victims. 815 00:51:38,362 --> 00:51:40,896 [loud applause & cheering] 816 00:51:44,268 --> 00:51:47,436 Across the nation, Iraqis, 817 00:51:47,505 --> 00:51:50,439 weary of war and hardship, celebrate his death. 818 00:51:53,311 --> 00:51:57,746 Saddam Hussein was a classic strongman dictator. 819 00:51:57,815 --> 00:52:01,784 His relentless use of violence, terror, and fear 820 00:52:01,853 --> 00:52:04,787 helped him create one of the most enduring dictatorships 821 00:52:04,856 --> 00:52:06,956 of the 20th century. 822 00:52:09,527 --> 00:52:12,728 But those same tactics made him live 823 00:52:12,797 --> 00:52:15,064 in a dangerously false reality, 824 00:52:15,133 --> 00:52:17,366 forever convinced of his own invincibility, 825 00:52:17,435 --> 00:52:20,903 even as his country was invaded 826 00:52:20,972 --> 00:52:22,705 and his government destroyed. 827 00:52:25,543 --> 00:52:30,112 Iraq was left to rebuild under an American-led occupation. 828 00:52:30,181 --> 00:52:34,817 And today, the country still grapples 829 00:52:34,886 --> 00:52:39,788 with its history of division, violence, and dictatorship. 830 00:52:39,857 --> 00:52:44,260 You simply cannot understand anything that's going on in Iraq 831 00:52:44,328 --> 00:52:46,929 without realizing that his shadow 832 00:52:46,998 --> 00:52:50,900 looms over everything-- it's simply everywhere. 833 00:52:50,968 --> 00:52:54,503 His legacy lives on. 834 00:52:54,572 --> 00:52:57,973 That's one of the remarkable things about dictatorships-- 835 00:52:58,042 --> 00:53:01,477 we always tend to underestimate the impact 836 00:53:01,546 --> 00:53:04,280 they have on future generations. 837 00:53:20,331 --> 00:53:22,998 (man) To order "The Dictator's Playbook" on DVD, 838 00:53:23,067 --> 00:53:25,034 visit shopPBS.org 839 00:53:25,102 --> 00:53:27,036 or call 1-800-PLAY-PBS. 840 00:53:27,104 --> 00:53:28,938 This program is also available 841 00:53:29,006 --> 00:53:31,473 on Amazon Prime Video. 842 00:53:34,946 --> 00:53:36,745 [synthesizer fanfare]