Saddam Hussein’s rise to power was marked by ruthless purges that crushed rivals and tightened his grip on Iraq. His reign, along with his sons, brought decades of cruelty and fear to the nation.

Driving through Baghdad in the days before the Gulf War in January 1991, I was struck by the giant pictures of Saddam Hussein that lined the streets. Iraqi troops were on every corner. We couldn’t go ...

The original Soviet-era missiles performed poorly in accuracy tests, but Iraqi modifications made them far worse. During the 1991 Gulf War, as the Americans led a coalition against Saddam Hussein to ...