Word: saddamism
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...Iraq is trying to throw sand into the gears of the allies' military preparations. Saddam might hope to delay or disrupt a possible allied flanking attack around the western tip of Kuwait by forcing American, British or Arab troops that have been moving west to shift back to the east. Perhaps he also tried to take some of the bombing pressure off his supply lines and rear installations by forcing the U.S. to divert planes into close support of ground forces along the border...
...Saddam is getting desperate to start what he calls the "mother of battles." His plan has always been to inflict such heavy casualties on attacking allied ground forces that President Bush would seek some sort of compromise peace. But the allies unobligingly intend to hold off until weeks of bombing have killed more of the Iraqi troops, destroyed many of their fortifications and weapons, and cut off their supplies. Possibly the Iraqi leader hopes to goad his enemies into launching the land campaign prematurely...
That could become crucial in the next few weeks. One of the top-priority U.S. targets is the Republican Guards, Saddam's crack troops, who form a mobile reserve to be thrown into the eventual land battle for Kuwait at the most critical points. A high British officer says the allies will not launch the climactic ground offensive until at least 30%, and preferably 50%, of the Guards' fighting power is destroyed from the air. But how will they know when that point is reached? Washington officials admit they are having trouble gauging how much damage bombing is doing...
...mere 2,000 assumes that damage on secondary roads has been as severe as on the main highway to Baghdad. Maybe, but no proof has been given. In general, however, there is no reason to doubt the picture of an awesome battering that eventually must seriously weaken Saddam's ability to withstand a ground attack...
What they are doing there is still a mystery. At one end of the speculative spectrum is the theory that at least some fled after the failure of an Iraqi air force coup to overthrow Saddam; at the opposite end is the possibility that Saddam has swung a deal to have Iran keep them safe for a while, then return them to him later in the war. The prevailing idea is that Saddam intends to stash them away for use by a postwar Iraqi regime that he thinks he will still head. This is backed up by repeated Iranian assurances...