The Saddam Hussein Reader: Selections from Leading Writers on Iraq. (Notification).(Book Review)(Brief Article)

EDITED BY TURI MUNTHE. Thunder's Mouth, $17.95 paper (592p) ISBN 1-56025-428-9

As this strong collection of essays and excerpts shows, the issue of Iraq goes far beyond whether the United States should invade and attempt to overthrow Saddam Hussein. The pieces, culled from numerous articles and books by leading writers on the Iraqi dictator over the last few years, include a brief bio detailing Saddam's rise from an impoverished childhood, a look at U.S. support for Saddam to counterbalance Iran and an examination of the reasons for the 1991 Gulf War and its aftermath. In one of the more insightful pieces, Israeli scholar Ofra Bengio describes how the Iraqi propaganda …