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They are asking us to pay for the knives

they gave Saddam to slaughter us.

— Dr. Hasim al Hassani, Iraqi Islamic Party

When Saddam Hussein grabbed power in 1979, Iraq had no long-term debt. Its cash reserves were $36 billion. It had high literacy and public universities; it had extensive socialized health care. Iraq was becoming a “first world” nation.

During the 1980’s, however, as a US ally, Saddam squandered that wealth. Borrowing tens of billions of dollars, he built up a vast military and security apparatus.