Why US presidents go easy on regimes like Saudi Arabia

President Donald Trump with a chart highlighting arms sales to Saudi Arabia during a meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House, March 20, 2018. Associated Press Despite the US finding that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman "approved" the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, President Joe Biden has declined to directly punish Saudi Arabia. Like his predecessors, Biden sees Saudi Arabia as needed for certain US objectives in the Middle East, writes Jeffrey...
Tags: Politics, Vladimir Putin, Obama, Washington Post, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, White House, China, Virginia, Iraq, Russia, US, America, Barack Obama, Trends, Reagan

How US special-operations forces helped the US military win its first post-Cold War victory

An Iraqi T-55 main battle tank burns after an attack by the 1st British Armored Division during Operation Desert Storm, February 1991. CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images As the threat from the Soviet Union declined in the early 1990s, a new challenge for the US arose in the Middle East. The first Gulf War was a textbook conventional war, but it featured an array special-operations missions that helped secure victory. Visit the Business section of Insider for more stories. Soon after the fall o...
Tags: Navy, Saudi Arabia, White House, Berlin Wall, Iraq, Russia, US, Trends, Coalition, Middle East, Delta, Army, Rangers, SBS, British Embassy, Saddam Hussein

Inside the covert mission that sent Delta Force and British SAS deep behind Iraqi lines in search of Saddam's missiles

Iraqis drive by a mural depicting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein looking at launched Scud missiles, in Thar Thar City in northern Iraq, April 28, 1999. KARIM SAHIB/AFP via Getty Images In January and February 1991, hundreds of thousands of troops in a US-led coalition pushed Iraqi forces out of Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm. Amid that campaign, Delta Force and the British SAS went deep behind Iraqi lines to neutralize the Scud missiles that Saddam Hussein hoped would turn the tide o...
Tags: Saudi Arabia, White House, Germany, Iraq, Israel, US, International, Trends, Syria, Royal Air Force, Delta, Pentagon, Saddam Hussein, Kuwait, US defense department, Iraqi Army

Iran pursues German companies that gave Saddam Hussein chemical weapons

Iran vowed on Wednesday to take action against German companies for supplying the former Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein with chemical...
Tags: Iran, Saddam Hussein

Evaristo de Macedo: The record-breaking Brazilian loved by Barca & Madrid

Barcelona's first Brazilian striker left for Real Madrid, managed Iraq with Saddam Hussein's son and beat Pele to a goalscoring record.
Tags: News, Iraq, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Pele, Madrid, Barca, Saddam Hussein, Evaristo de Macedo

Wish.com removes most Confederate merchandise, citing policy against hate, but it still sells items glorifying dictators

The online retailer Wish.com formally prohibits the sale of "hate symbols," but many still slip through the cracks. PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP via Getty Images Before Christmas, visitors to the online retailer Wish.com could purchase a number of items celebrating the Confederacy, from flags to shirts to hats. After Insider pointed out the items last week, the company removed most but not all related merchandise. "Wish prohibits the listing of products that glorify or endorse hatred towards others,...
Tags: Google, Amazon, Politics, News, Mississippi, Ebay, US, Trends, Retail, Lebron James, Hate Speech, Charles Davis, Saddam Hussein, Los Angeles Lakers, Wish, Confederate Flag

Iran's president compares Trump to hanged Saddam, predicts US president may meet same fate

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has compared Donald Trump to Saddam Hussein and suggested that the US president may meet a similar fate...
Tags: US, Iran, Hassan Rouhani, Donald Trump, Saddam Hussein, Trump, Saddam

How Saddam Hussein tried to break into the film business

Oliver Reed travelled to Iraq in the 1980s when Saddam Hussein tried to join the movie business.
Tags: News, Iraq, Saddam Hussein, Oliver Reed

TikTok is Ad Age Marketer of the Year, and Amazon is now world’s largest advertiser: Monday Wake-Up Call

Welcome to Ad Age’s Wake-Up Call, our daily roundup of advertising, marketing, media and digital news. If you're reading this online or in a forwarded email, here's the link to sign up for our Wake-Up Call newsletters. TikTok is Marketer of the Year Ad Age reveals 2020’s Marketers of the Year this morning and top of the list is TikTok, the social media platform that has emerged as a major pop-culture force in 2020, despite being on the v...
Tags: Amazon, Utah, Microsoft, Etsy, California, Osama Bin Laden, Advertising, Samsung, General Motors, CMO, New York Times, Romania, Toyota, Minecraft, Adolf Hitler, Saddam Hussein

George Lucas’ ‘Star Wars’ Sequel Trilogy Would Have Brought Back Darth Maul, Leaned Heavily on Princess Leia

Before the new Star Wars trilogy came around, the prequels were the most divisive installments of the sci-fi saga. While older Star Wars fans love the original trilogy more, those who grew up with The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones and Revenge of the Sith hold the movies in high esteem. So there’s plenty of interest in learning anything and everything about the making of those films with the benefit of hindsight. And a new Star Wars book has finally provided that. The Star Wars Archives: ...
Tags: Isis, Movies, Sci-fi, Disney, United States, Sequels, Darth Vader, Lucasfilm, Saddam Hussein, George-Lucas, Leia, Lucas, Luke Skywalker, Ben Solo, Rey, Luke

Saddam Hussein's right-hand man dies at 78

Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri was ‘king of clubs’ in US wanted list and had $10m bounty on his headSaddam Hussein’s right-hand man, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, a longtime fugitive, has died, according to the late Iraqi dictator’s daughter and his Ba’ath party.After Saddam’s capture following the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, the wiry, red-haired general remained the “king of clubs” in Washington’s deck of cards of wanted regime figures, with a $10m bounty on his head. Continue reading...
Tags: Washington, Iraq, US, World news, Middle East and North Africa, Saddam Hussein, Hussein, Saddam, Izzat Ibrahim al Douri, Ba'ath

Iraq: Saddam Hussein’s right-hand man dies after years as fugitive

Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri was ‘king of clubs’ in US wanted list and had $10m bounty on his headSaddam Hussein’s right-hand man, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, a longtime fugitive, has died, according to the late Iraqi dictator’s daughter and his Ba’ath party.After Saddam’s capture following the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, the wiry, red-haired general remained the “king of clubs” in Washington’s deck of cards of wanted regime figures, with a $10m bounty on his head. Continue reading...
Tags: Washington, Iraq, US, World news, Middle East and North Africa, Saddam Hussein, Hussein, Saddam, Izzat Ibrahim al Douri, Ba'ath

Frumpy Middle-aged Mom: Drinking wine with the girl child

I’ve been thinking about taking my daughter, Curly Girl, on an overnight mother-daughter trip, during which we will have special bonding time and stuff like that. Well, it wouldn’t be accurate to say I’d be taking her, since I’m not currently driving a car due to one leg that insists it doesn’t have a license. She would be doing the driving, but that’s OK, because she only has one accident a week, so the odds are with us. I can say that here with great authority because she never reads my column...
Tags: Mexico, Wikipedia, Sport, Things To Do, Soccer, Argentina, Starbucks, Baja, Cuba, Costa Rica, Saddam Hussein, Boone, Queen Elizabeth, Napa Valley, Temecula, Bali Hai

International students who come to the US to study are a huge boost for the country and our economy. But their fate is on the ballot this November.

Caelan Stulken / EyeEm/ Getty Images International students contribute more than $41 billion to the U.S. economy. In recent months, international students have been under relentless attacks by the Trump administration, including last week’s proposed rule targeting students from 59 countries. Voters have a chance to make a choice that would strengthen America’s workforce and global economic competitiveness, while promoting a long-term strategy to keep talent in America. Taif Jany is a poli...
Tags: China, US, America, Trends, United States, Department Of Homeland Security, Saddam Hussein, Trump, Upstate New York, Damascus Syria, Union College, Toefl, Caelan Stulken EyeEm Getty Images International, America Taif Jany, Germany Canada Australia New Zealand

Undeterred by virus, Iraqi volunteers cater for thousands of Arbaeen pilgrims in Baghdad

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - "Fried chicken, fried fish, rice!" Mohammed al-Mohammedawi shouts to Shi'ite pilgrims passing his roadside food tent in Baghdad on their way to the holy city of Kerbala on foot. Local men founded a volunteer group 'Ahbab al-Zahra' to assist the pilgrims after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, who had for decades banned the pilgrimage. Arbaeen marks the end of a 40-day mourning period for the grandson of the Prophet Mohammad, Imam Hussein, killed in battle in 680.
Tags: News, Saddam Hussein, Baghdad, Kerbala, Reuters Fried, Mohammed al Mohammedawi, Ahbab al Zahra, Mohammad Imam Hussein

From cut-out confessions to cheese pages: browse the world's strangest books

Edward Brooke-Hitching set out to curate the ultimate collection of bizarre books down the ages. He leads us around the Madman’s LibraryEdward Brooke-Hitching grew up in a rare book shop, with a rare book dealer for a father. As the author of histories of maps The Phantom Atlas, The Golden Atlas and The Sky Atlas, he has always been “really fascinated by books that are down the back alleys of history”. Ten years ago, he embarked on a project to come up with the “ultimate library”. No first editi...
Tags: Books, World news, Culture, Libraries, Jane Austen, Saddam Hussein, Edward Brooke Hitching, LibraryEdward Brooke Hitching, Brooke Hitching

Lukashenko's love of being photographed with guns suggests he might be worried about the loyalty of his inner circle

Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko wipes his face as he gives a speech to his supporters following the announcement of disputed election results on August 9. Valery Sharifulin/TASS via Getty Images Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has been repeatedly photographed wearing military gear while holding a gun.
 His 15-year-old son is now also one of his armed bodyguards. Western security experts believe Lukashenko wants to be sure he is never the only unarmed man in the room, just in ...
Tags: News, Putin, Africa, Trends, Middle East, Belarus, Saddam Hussein, State, Saddam, Alexander Lukashenko, Lukashenko, Qusai, Uday, Valery Sharifulin, Mitch Prothero, Military & Defense

M. C. Armstrong's Playlist for His Memoir "The Mysteries of Haditha"

In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others. M. C. Armstrong's The Mysteries of Haditha is more than a war memoir, the book combines reportage with autobiography to remarkable effect. Phil Klay wrote of the book: "The Mysteries of Haditha is...
Tags: Music, Guantanamo Bay, Diet, Navy, Snowden, Nsa, Berlin Wall, Iraq, Wilco, America, Syria, David, United States, Edward Snowden, Middle East, Al Qaeda

Trump must back Iraq withdrawal promise with action

Earlier this month, while meeting with the Iraqi Prime Minister, President Trump reaffirmed his intent to remove all U.S. troops from Iraq. “We were there and now we’re getting out. We’ll be leaving shortly,” the president told reporters at the time. Although President Obama should never have sent U.S. troops back into Iraq in 2016, it is definitely well past time to remove them as quickly as possible. Over the weekend, the Trump administration announced it would be drawing down troops currently...
Tags: Isis, Obama, California, Opinion, Nsa, Iraq, US, Sacramento, America, Sport, Iran, Soccer, House Of Representatives, Al Qaeda, Ron Paul, Republican Party

Trump's RNC role is a much bigger mistake than Republicans realize

The Republican National Convention is lousy with Trumps. It's not just that the president will apparently be free associating for nearly an hour every evening ("Air Force One has more televisions that any plane in history. They've got them in closets, they've got them on ceilings, floors."). It's not just that his children and even some of their girlfriends and spouses have been given prominent speaking slots. It's that as an institution, the GOP has chosen to undergo a proce...
Tags: Florida, News, Stephen Colbert, Senate, Joe Biden, Gop, Iowa, Bill Clinton, Un, Republican Party, Republican, Donald Trump, Trevor Noah, George W Bush, Saddam Hussein, Rudy Giuliani

Trump wants to take America down with him

Thirty years ago this month, Iraqi forces commanded by Saddam Hussein invaded and occupied the tiny nation of Kuwait. A few months later, a coalition led by the United States drove those forces back into Iraq. The retreating army did not go quietly. Instead, fleeing soldiers set fire to hundreds of oil wells, blackening the sky with smoke for months and creating a terrible environmental disaster. The message was clear: If Saddam couldn't have Kuwait's oil, nobody could.President Trump is...
Tags: News, White House, Iraq, America, Joe Biden, United States, Jimmy Carter, Department Of Justice, Donald Trump, Saddam Hussein, Kuwait, Trump, Gallup, United States Postal Service, Calif, Abraham Lincoln

Elegant split-screen editing as Nike hopes to inspire togetherness.

Details at AdWeek: "Clever Video Editing Portrays a Message of Unity in Nike’s Latest Powerful Spot/Wieden+Kennedy produced the third ad in 'You Can't Stop Us' campaign."Like the other two spots in the campaign, “You Can’t Stop Us,” which has the same name as the overall campaign, draws on the sense of community from being socially isolated during a global pandemic. However, unlike the other two spots, the third 1.5-minute video also touches on the feelings stirred by the resurgence of the Black...
Tags: Law, Minneapolis, Obama, Advertising, Sports, Nike, Brooklyn, United States, Lincoln, Saddam Hussein, Martin Luther King Jr, Baghdad, Louisville, Megan Rapinoe, Lincoln Memorial, Arthur

How Kim Jong Un Won the War Over North Korea’s Nukes

North Korea has nukes. They work. They can threaten American military bases and cities. Not only is the United States powerless to rid the Korean Peninsula of atomic warheads, thanks to Kim’s nukes it’s also powerless to force regime-change on Pyongyang.In short, Kim Jong Un won. That’s the chilling thesis of an eye-opening new book about North Korea’s decades-long effort to develop and deploy nuclear weapons. “There is good reason to believe that, for all intents and purposes, the Korean Penins...
Tags: News, Obama, North Korea, Iraq, Barack Obama, Iran, Panda, Hillary Clinton, United States, Kim Jong Un, Tokyo, Kim, Donald Trump, Seoul, Saddam Hussein, Pyongyang

Three decades on, Iraq and Kuwait haunted by Saddam's invasion

Thirty years have passed since Iraqi tyrant Saddam Hussein invaded neighbouring Kuwait, but despite hints of a diplomatic rapprochement, people in both countries say the wounds have yet to heal. On August 2, 1990, Saddam sent his military, already exhausted by an eight-year conflict with Iran, into Kuwait to seize what he dubbed "Iraq's 19th province." From Baghdad to Basra, Kirkuk to Babylon, Iraqis agree that the incursion "marked the beginning of the end."
Tags: News, Iraq, Iran, Saddam Hussein, Kuwait, Baghdad, Saddam, Basra Kirkuk

Relics of its golden past, Mosul's trains left to rust

Nearly a century ago, Iraqis and Westerners stood here with tickets to Berlin, Istanbul or Venice. Today, the rusting tracks and overturned carriages of Mosul's train station betray the city's isolation. Battered by sanctions against the old regime of Saddam Hussein, back-to-back conflicts and little investment, the once grandiose train station in the Iraqi city's western half is a shadow of its former self.
Tags: News, Venice, Saddam Hussein, Mosul, Berlin Istanbul

Podcast #629: Why We Swim

If you’ve been swimming since you were a child, you probably don’t think too much about it anymore. But when you take a step back, the human act of swimming is a pretty interesting thing. You weren’t born knowing how to swim; it’s not instinctual. So why are people so naturally drawn to water? And what do we get out of paddling around in it? My guest today explores these questions in her book Why We Swim. Her name is Bonnie Tsui, and we begin our conversation today with how humans are some of...
Tags: Podcast, Japan, Fitness, Life, Saddam Hussein, Bonnie, Health & Sports, Bonnie Bonnie, Bonnie Tsui, Thoreau Oliver Sacks Yo Yo Ma Fred Rogers, Life of Bruce Lee Be Water ESPN

This Old Tank Helped Crush Saddam Hussein (It Was Meant to Crush Russia)

An impressive record for an aging weapon.
Tags: News, Russia, Saddam Hussein

Jon Stewart says he doesn't remember Republicans being mad about erasing history when the Saddam Hussein statue was toppled in Baghdad

On "The Daily Social Distancing Show with Trevor Noah", Jon Stewart lampooned Republicans' hypocrisy over tearing down Confederate statues.
Tags: News, Jon Stewart, Trevor Noah, Saddam Hussein, Baghdad

Liberal Fox Pundit Explodes When Colleague Falsely Accuses Her of Comparing Washington to Saddam

A Fox News panel flew off the rails on Thursday when Federalist senior editor and Fox News contributor Mollie Hemingway falsely accused liberal pundit Marie Harf of comparing George Washington to late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein during a discussion on the Black Lives Matter movement.During the noon broadcast of female-centric opinion show Outnumbered, Fox contributor Harf weighed in on the recent targeting of the monuments depicting Confederate leaders and historic figures who owned slaves.“I ...
Tags: News, Washington, Iraq, Fox, United States, Fox News, Lincoln, Francis, Black Lives Matter, BLM, Charlottesville, Saddam Hussein, Hemingway, George Washington, Hussein, Saddam

Yes, Even Saddam Hussein Could Have Attacked and Sunk an American Battleship

Nothing is impossible.
Tags: News, Saddam Hussein