Liveblogging Class

We continue our viewing of "The Long Road to War"...we are looking at the November 22, 1990 UN Resolution (6781990) which set a 6-week deadline for Saddam to leave Kuwait. The resolution was asked for and obtained by James Baker (SecState). The President had gotten most of his information on Saddam Hussien from SH's fellow Middle Eastern leaders, especially President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, who was telling him that Saddam was likely to back down to a direct American challenge.

The portion of the video that examines the "Mind of Hussein" details Saddam's early life, and lays a groundwork for understanding the ethos and motivation of Saddam Hussein. The details of the violence he was involved in, and his affiliation with the Ba'ath Party are layed out in some detail, as was his rise to the zenith of the Iraqi political structure.

The video also broaches the subject of the 1963 Ba'ath party takeover of Iraq with CIA assistance. In all fairness, any analysis of that action has to take into account that the assistance was provided in a world dominated by Cold War politics.