But Saddam’s officers lacked the confidence to present and consider ‘options’ fearing that a wrong decision may upset or aggravate their commander in chief, Saddam. He was the dominant decision maker in Iraq’s military and his miscalculations shaped his county’s political and military response to the crisis. Saddam’s view in Iraq was both sweeping and absolute. He formally controlled every state, administrative, the Ba’ath Party, and military hierarchy across the country: He simultaneously held the posts of President, Prime Minister and Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council. He was god.
Iraq under Saddam Hussein could be described in 1990 as a ‘Third World’ power trying to build a first-class military. While the government and military enjoyed good social conditions the wider pubic suffered under a vicious regime. In Baghdad, Saddam’s main Palace included swimming pools, vast dining rooms decorated with gold and lavish bathrooms - while in the streets of Baghdad families lacked basic resources such as medical care and transport system. Discipline was everything, checkpoints were routine and the Army and Police had ultimate power. In 1990, Saddam possessed the biggest and most experienced military force in the Persian Gulf and was not unafraid to use it for personal gain. Iraq’s population was only 17 million people, but Saddam had the world’s fourth largest ground force and the sixth largest air force. Much of Iraq’s military equipment had been procured since he took office as President in 1979 - it was among the best in
