Were Iraqis really better off under Saddam?
Iraq's current security chaos appears to be inspiring a bit of nostalgia for Saddam Hussein’s days, though it is unclear who, exactly, is reminiscing.
BAGHDAD — The Baath regime led by former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein collapsed in September 2003 in the wake of the US invasion. Iraq has been uneasy ever since and has yet to recover. Every now and then, voices are heard measuring the current security chaos against the relative stability of Saddam’s rule (1979-2003).
But whose voices are they, really?
Saddam is remembered amid Iraq's current state of the deteriorating political, security and economic situation. Citizens, cultural and political elites, and active politicians have compared post-Saddam governments to his regime.
In a Jan. 25 interview conducted with Asharq Al-Awsat, former Iraqi Vice President Ayad Allawi (2014-15) said, “Iraqis are nostalgic for Saddam’s days,” in a reference to the worsening situation in the country and the political rift.
