Author: Dale Anderson

Publisher: Lerner Publications Company 2004

Pages: 112

Description: Saddam Hussein, one of the most feared and controversial Middle Eastern leaders, was president of Iraq from 1979 to 2003. Hussein joined the Baath Party in the later 1950s and helped that party take power in Iraq, often using violence to achieve his political goals. After years of ruthlessness, he became head of state and promptly murdered dozens of his rivals. Iraq invaded neighboring Iran in 1980. In 1990 Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait, which led to the Persian Gulf War. As a result of these wars, and the potential threat of Iraqs weapons of mass destruction, Iraq faced economic hardship and international penalties and ultimately a U.S backed invasion that ousted Hussein and his regime from power.