Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 20 hours ago
Saddam Hussein was one of the greatest enemies of the United States in living memory. The Iraqi dictator’s crimes were used as justification for two separate wars and his name is inseparable from tyranny and violence. What most people don’t know is that Saddam was not always America’s enemy. For years, the United States supported him.
From the CIA allegedly helping him to carry out assassination attempts, to arming him with the materials for chemical weapons, in this video we’ll learn how the United States secretly backed Saddam Hussein for years before turning against him. America and Iraq American support for Saddam is much older than you probably think
. Back in 1958, the Kingdom of Iraq was overthrown by its own military led by Abdul-Karim Qasim. Qasim established an independent Iraqi government that tried to avoid committing to either side in the Cold War, preferring to pursue their own course of Iraqi nationalism which blended Iraqi heritage with Islamic faith and economically socialist policies. For the United States, Qasim’s government was a better option than the Communists, and Qasim tried to stay on good terms with both Washington and Moscow - at least at first. Qasim also rejected Egypt’s Abdul Nasser’s proposal to join a United Arab Republic made up of Egypt, Iraq, and Syria, preferring his country independent.
This too was good for the Americans, who felt that such a union would be an obstacle for their interests in the Middle East.
#saddamhussein #cia #iraqwar
Sources:
James G. Blight et al., Becoming Enemies: US-Iran Relations and the Iran-Iraq War, 1979-1988, (2014) Joyce Battle, ‘Shaking Hands With Saddam Hussein: The US Tilts Towards Iraq, 1980-1984,’ National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No.82, 25th February 2003, https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/ Peter L. Hahn, Missions Accomplished? The United States and Iraq since World War I, (2012)
Copyright © 2025 A Day In History. All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER: All materials in these videos are used for entertainment purposes and fall within the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. If you are, or represent, the copyright owner of materials used in this video, and have an issue with the use of said material, please send an email to adayinhistory2021@gmail.com
Saddam Hussein was one of the greatest enemies of the United States in living memory. The Iraqi dictator’s crimes were used as justification for two separate wars and his name is inseparable from tyranny and violence. What most people don’t know is that Saddam was not always America’s enemy. For years, the United States supported him.
From the CIA allegedly helping him to carry out assassination attempts, to arming him with the materials for chemical weapons, in this video we’ll learn how the United States secretly backed Saddam Hussein for years before turning against him. America and Iraq American support for Saddam is much older than you probably think
. Back in 1958, the Kingdom of Iraq was overthrown by its own military led by Abdul-Karim Qasim. Qasim established an independent Iraqi government that tried to avoid committing to either side in the Cold War, preferring to pursue their own course of Iraqi nationalism which blended Iraqi heritage with Islamic faith and economically socialist policies. For the United States, Qasim’s government was a better option than the Communists, and Qasim tried to stay on good terms with both Washington and Moscow - at least at first. Qasim also rejected Egypt’s Abdul Nasser’s proposal to join a United Arab Republic made up of Egypt, Iraq, and Syria, preferring his country independent.
This too was good for the Americans, who felt that such a union would be an obstacle for their interests in the Middle East.
#saddamhussein #cia #iraqwar
Sources:
James G. Blight et al., Becoming Enemies: US-Iran Relations and the Iran-Iraq War, 1979-1988, (2014) Joyce Battle, ‘Shaking Hands With Saddam Hussein: The US Tilts Towards Iraq, 1980-1984,’ National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No.82, 25th February 2003, https://nsarchive2.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/ Peter L. Hahn, Missions Accomplished? The United States and Iraq since World War I, (2012)
Copyright © 2025 A Day In History. All rights reserved.
DISCLAIMER: All materials in these videos are used for entertainment purposes and fall within the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. If you are, or represent, the copyright owner of materials used in this video, and have an issue with the use of said material, please send an email to adayinhistory2021@gmail.com
