Word: saddamism
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Their aim: overthrow Saddam Hussein. "We thought we were writing the history of Iraq," recalls Allawi, who bristled with adrenaline as the fighters overran three Iraqi positions. "But what happened later showed we were totally wrong...
What happened later should make Washington pause before getting too deeply entangled again with Iraq's opposition. Attempts by U.S. officials to foment an anti-Saddam revolution have been case studies in miscommunication, danger and betrayal. They have also been examples of how half hearted support by the U.S. has, in some respects, been even worse than no support at all. Allawi's group, for instance, was nearly wiped out less than 18 months after that glorious hilltop night, when Saddam overran its camps with a tank offensive. Up to 2,000 fighters were captured and executed, leaving the survivors...
...Kurdish revolt to destabilize Iraq, which was menacing Iran. Thousands of Kurds paid with their life when the U.S. dropped the plan after the Shah of Iran made peace with Baghdad. In 1991, President Bush called on Iraqis to revolt, but when they did, U.S. troops stood by as Saddam crushed the uprising by slaughtering thousands more...
Those words of encouragement helped the I.N.C. flower briefly. Guerrillas dropped leaflets on Baghdad and thousands of Iraqi army defectors were lured into I.N.C. camps by the promise of a real opposition to Saddam...
...glory days didn't last. By 1994, the I.N.C. was collapsing as rival Kurd groups battled over smuggling routes for oil and other goods between Turkey and central Iraq. The infighting led one faction to form a desperate alliance with Saddam in 1996, helping him squeeze the other rebels. The U.S.--stunned by the intrigue--dumped the I.N.C...