Baghdad, Written by Christopher Dickey. It Appeared

¶ … Baghdad," written by Christopher Dickey. It appeared in the January 21, 2002 issue of the magazine.

This article profiles 57-year-old Ahmed Chalabi, who fans call "Saddam Hussein's worst enemy," and critics call "some kind of scam artist." The article tries to discover who he really is, and why he is determined to oust Saddam Hussein from his dictatorship in Iraq.

Chalabi was educated in the U.S. At the University of Chicago and MIT. He studied mathematics, and eventually became a banker in Jordan. In 1989 King Hussein, who was Jordan's king at the time, took over Chalabi's bank, called the Petra Bank. It turns out that Hussein was "deeply involved with Saddam both politically and financially." Chalabi escaped from the country with a phony passport, and eventually settled in London, where he now has his offices. He was tried in absentia in Jordan, and convicted of embezzling many millions of dollars. While he claims the king set it all up, he has many detractors in Jordan, who have never forgiven him for bankrupting them. An interesting side note to Chalabi's background is that he comes from a respected Shiite family in Iraq that was "closely tied to the monarchy that was overthrown in 1958."

Chalabi has won the support of many people on Capitol Hill, and his organization, the Iraqi National Congress, has received millions of dollars to damage Saddam and his regime. The author says that the Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, which was approved by Congress, and appropriated $97 million dollars, was "written largely with Chalabi and his group in mind."

Chalabi faces many critics, who wonder why he is so determined to fight for Iraq. The State Department and CIA both pretty much ignore him, seeing him as "ineffectual." The State Department has notified him they will cut off his funds, if his INC group does not start to keep accurate records of their finances and expenses. Chalabi says they will give the State Department the records, and feels they are picking on him without a reason.

Chalabi's procedure for gaining control in Iraq would involve the United States seizing Southern Iraqi air bases, and defending them with troops. Allies to Chalabi's INC would begin guerrilla operations to support the U.S. troops. Chalabi also foresees thousands of defectors and Iraqi Army deserters joining in the fight against Saddam, and ultimately removing him from power.

INC also has many supporters, who believe Chalabi's group has not been as ineffectual as the State Department and others believe. During the 1990s, Chalabi lived in Northern Iraq, and allied with the Kurds, who were living in the same mountains, protected by the no-flight zone patrolled by American aircraft. While Chalabi worked to create a cohesive group, many defectors joined his cause, including one of Saddam's top generals, Wafiq al-Samurrai.

In March 1995, the group was ready to launch a coup attempt. However, when they were about to begin, they received a cable from the national security advisor of the U.S., saying they would not receive any support from Washington and the United States. They began their uprising anyway, and a CIA agent with them said they "racked up stunning results over the next few days," but no one in the United States government wanted to know anything about it. "The State Department and the CIA are not interested in dealing with us,' says Chalabi."

REACTION

It is very difficult to decide which side is right in this story of Chalabi and his group. Why is he so determined to rid Iraq of Saddam? Does he hope to regain the family power that was lost when the monarchy was overthrown? Is he using the millions of dollars he has gotten for his own gain? These questions go unanswered in this article, and really raise more questions.

The author alternately portrays Chalabi as a hero who wants to liberate Iraq from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein, to a scheming "Machiavellian plotter," only out for his own gain, and hoping to drag the U.S. into war with Iraq. Who is he really? I do not think the author answers that question either. He leaves us wondering about the man and his motives at the end of the article. The only thing we really know is Chalabi's background, and what his organization has tried to do before.

Another thing the author mentions is Chalabi's "many friends on Capitol Hill and the Pentagon." They "see him as the driving force who kept the Iraqi opposition alive through years of neglect by the Clinton administration." So, is his support all political, and really has no substance in the real day-to-day world?