Saddam should have been left to run Iraq: Ex-CIA officer

WASHINGTON: An ex-CIA officer, who interrogated Iraqi ruler Saddam Hussain, said that he should have been left to run the country, stating that it would have been a better option.

In a new book, John Nixon detailed his encounter with the former Iraqi ruler and lots of discussions that followed.

According to John, when he had the chance of interrogating the former Iraq President in 2003 after he was captured by coalition forces, had predicted and warned that USA would fail in Iraq since the occupying forces did not understand the minds of Arabs.

“When I interrogated Saddam, he told me: ‘You are going to fail. You are going to find that it is not so easy to govern Iraq.’ When I told him I was curious why he felt that way, he replied: ‘You are going to fail in Iraq because you do not know the language, the history, and you do not understand the Arab mind, ” John Nixon wrote in Time.

He is of the opinion that a leader like Saddam Hussein was necessary to “maintain Iraq’s multi-ethnic state.”

“Saddam’s leadership style and penchant for brutality were among the many faults of his regime, but he could be ruthlessly decisive when he felt his power base was threatened, and it is far from certain that his regime would have been overthrown by a movement of popular discontent,” he wrote. “Likewise, it is improbable that a group like ISIS would have been able to enjoy the kind of success under his repressive regime that they have had under the Shia-led Baghdad government.”

The former CIA chief despite note liking Saddam Hussain, developed a ‘grudging respect’ for him for his ability to rule a complex nation like Iraq.

“Although I found Saddam to be thoroughly unlikeable, I came away with a grudging respect for how he was able to maintain the Iraqi nation as a whole for as long as he did,” wrote Nixon.

“He told me once, ‘Before me, there was only bickering and arguing. I ended all that and made people agree!” he added.