The Hanoudi Letter: Iraq's history, geopolitics, ethnic-religious conflicts and the current situation in this country. http://www.thehanoudiletter.com Thu, 24 Jul 2008 14:21:03 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.thehanoudiletter.com/content/view/101/ It is becoming increasingly evident that those who are interested in MY story about Saddam are becoming a very small minority; the majority of people are divided into two camps. The first camp is people who are trying very hard to forget about Saddam and his rule and what happened during the three decades of his tyranny. The others in the second camp are looking at Saddam years with great longing and nostalgia, they think that even during his most terrible days things were much better than they are now in Iraq. But, a very clever friend of mine told me sometime ago that in a democracy especially on like we have now in Iraq everyone is entitled to his own foolishness, I am still in a very serious predicament, I think both are wrong but I am unable to bring my story to more people because I am still short of a publisher who would take care of my work. I am continuing to publish online and install pieces from my book into this blog and pray. The following piece is the third part of first section of the book, the fugitive. News - Latest Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:22:03 +0100 http://www.thehanoudiletter.com/content/view/100/ I am continuing with this posting to update The Hanoudi Letter with installments from My Book on Saddam, still short of a publisher who is willing to take care of my work I am left with no other option but to publish on line like I have been doing for the last few months. The following piece is the second part – on the fringe of the party- from the first section of the book, the origins of a tyranny. News - Latest Sat, 31 May 2008 15:23:09 +0100 http://www.thehanoudiletter.com/content/view/99/ With today’s update from My Book on Saddam Hussein, I am going back to the beginning of that terrible and sad episode in the turbulent and very tumultuous history of my country. Today I am talking about the first few years of the life of Saddam which are to a very great extent the ones which shaped his ultimate cultural and psychological make up. The first ten years in the life of an individual are called the formative years. The last installment from My Book was a tribute to my friends the rogues which was an abridgement of the last part of its last section. Now I am going back to the beginning of the story of Saddam Hussein and his regime, it is the first part from the first section which is entitled the origins of a tyranny, the following piece is about the formative years of Saddam Hussein. News - Latest Sat, 03 May 2008 17:05:25 +0100 http://www.thehanoudiletter.com/content/view/98/ On the 9th of April 2003 the Baathist regime in Iraq collapsed and Saddam has fled his presidential palace, the war against Saddam was a very short operation, it lasted twenty days, the following are short notes on a very small part of the military plan which resulted in toppling him and the dismantling of his regime, they are not a history of the war, that I am sure will be dealt with expertly by specialists in the history of the United State’s armed forces, these are rather a modest tribute to few American Soldiers of Task Force 1-64 Armor (who call themselves the desert rogues) of the Second Brigade of the Third Infantry Division. A fascinating group of young American men and women whom I had the good fortune to meet and befriend under an extremely perilous situation during the last war, a friendship which is still as pure as it was at the start in spite of the terrible course events has taken place in Iraq and the shocking ill feelings towards the Americans which have replaced the respect and good will of the early days, but all that has not affected my love and great respect of the rogues, they were and are still my friends. News - Latest Wed, 09 Apr 2008 18:08:52 +0100 http://www.thehanoudiletter.com/content/view/97/ This is the first part from the first section of my book, the story of Saddam Hussein and his regime. The previous three installments were about the history of Iraq from man’s first civilization to the twentieth century the events of which were like a prelude to Saddam. I am going during the next few weeks to insert pieces from the narrative not necessarily as they appear in the book like from example next week’s piece that is going to be from the last section of the book in which I talk about my friends the desert rogues. The story is about the first unit from the American military who entered Saddam’s palace that he abandoned following the collapse of his regime. News - Latest Sat, 22 Mar 2008 15:30:47 +0100