Far from harboring weapons of mass destruction, he was focused on maintaining his grip on power. Having learned his lesson during Iraq’s brutal and costly war with Iran in the 1980s, Saddam was careful not to disturb the region’s geopolitical equilibrium.
2003年，美国打了一场被误导的伊拉克战争，推翻了萨达姆，也打破了微妙的平衡。萨达姆是腐败而残忍的，但他的政权具有显著的世俗特征。他绝没有囤积大规模杀伤性武器，而是专注于对权力的掌控。萨达姆汲取了20世纪80年代伊拉克与伊朗的野蛮又代价高昂的战争的教训，小心翼翼地不去干扰地区地缘政治均衡。