Pulitzer-Winning Journalist Reveals Saddam Hussein’s Insights to Warn on US-Iran Relations
Pulitzer Prize-winning American journalist Steve Coll has published a detailed study of Saddam Hussein’s leadership and US-Iraq relations, drawing lessons relevant to today’s US-Iran tensions. Coll’s new book, "Achilles Trap: Saddam Hussein, the CIA, and the Roots of the American Invasion of Iraq" (Penguin, 2024), is based on hundreds of hours of secret recordings made by Saddam himself, which were discovered by the US military during the 2003 invasion. These tapes reveal Saddam’s calm, calculating nature and his misjudgments about US intentions, contrasting with the common perception of him as irrational.
Coll explains that Saddam repeatedly dismissed fears of Iran acquiring weapons of mass destruction, confident that the US and Israel would intervene if that happened. Saddam’s overconfidence and poor intelligence, partly due to advisors withholding bad news and his limited international contacts, led him to misread regional dynamics, including the US response to his 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Coll argues that US presidents consistently misunderstood Saddam, treating him as a caricature rather than a strategic actor.
The book also highlights the dangers of failing to communicate with adversaries. Coll notes that US administrations struggled to maintain meaningful dialogue with both Saddam and Iran, often due to domestic political constraints. He draws parallels between Saddam’s miscalculations and current US-Iran relations, emphasizing that lack of direct communication and reliance on allies’ intelligence can lead to flawed policies and unnecessary conflicts.
Coll stresses that understanding complex authoritarian regimes requires nuanced, ongoing engagement rather than simplistic assumptions. He warns that the US’s inability to grasp Iran’s internal power struggles and decision-making processes limits effective policy. The journalist also critiques the rise of opinion-driven journalism, advocating for fact-based reporting as essential to holding power accountable in democracies.
In sum, Coll’s work offers a historical lens on the US’s past mistakes with Iraq and a cautionary perspective on managing current tensions with Iran, underscoring the critical need for dialogue and accurate intelligence in international relations.
