born April 28, 1937, Tikr 012B; t, Iraq
President of Iraq (19792003).
He joined the Bath Party in 1957. Following participation in a failed attempt to assassinate Iraqi Pres. 02BD; Abd al-Kar 012B; m Q 0101; sim in 1959, 1E62; add 0101; m fled to Cairo, where he briefly attended law school. He returned to Iraq when the Ba 02BD; thists gained power in 1963. Jailed when the Ba 02BD; thists were overthrown, he escaped and helped reinstall the party to power in 1968. He led the nationalization of the oil industry in 1972. He took over the presidency with the aims of replacing Egypt as leader of the Arab world and of gaining hegemony over the Persian Gulf, and he launched wars against Iran ( Iran-Iraq War , 198090) and Kuwait (First Persian Gulf War , 199091), both of which he lost. He instituted a brutal dictatorship and directed intensive campaigns against minorities within Iraq, particularly the Kurd s. U.S. fears regarding his development of weapons of mass destruction led to Western sanctions against Iraq. Sanctions were followed by an Anglo-American invasion in 2003 (Second Persian Gulf War ) that drove him from power. After several months in hiding, he was captured by U.S. forces. See also Pan-Arabism .