Rating: 
Summary: A detailed portrait of a vile dictator
Review:
In the middle of the year 2002, under the leadership of President George W. Bush, it had become clear to the nation that the U.S.-led war on terror would be expanding its measures to encompass the very heart of the middle east: the fertile crecent, Iraq. As a political science-broadcast journalism double major I found it most pertinent to make my opinion an educated one in regards to where I stand in the war on terror--and more specifically with the war on Iraq.
Con Coughlin's book was a milestone in my understanding of the life of Saddam Hussein (from his tragic childhood onward), the premises of the Gulf War, and the underlying facts of what seemed to me to be 'Gulf Wars: Episode II,' as the popular parody poster reads. It was smart, fast-paced, and not insulting to my intelligence like many historic journals that are not written for accomplished historians tend to be.
I am proud to say that after reading that book, written by an English Journalist, I know exactly where I stand in the war on terror and can honestly vouch that my vote will not be with Kerry. Historically, The Liberal America has been weak on National Security. Alger Hiss was made Secretary of State by Frank Roosevelt well after the FBI had produced documents declaring him a Soviet Spy. After Russian codes were effectively discovered and de-coded, the myth became fact and Hiss was arrested. Shortly after his release he received a standing ovation at Stanford University. Liberals also condemned Reagan for winning the cold war.
After reading 'Saddam: King of Terror,' I will not allow my country to be given to a group of people whom to this day still put the War on Terror in quotation marks. Finally, we have a president willing to put horrible, brutal, monsters to abrupt meetings with justice and will not let a coalition of interest groups interfere with the interests of the nation.
My only criticism of the book is the lack of chronological continuity. The text tends to jump from time to time here in there with confuses the flow of reading. On top of that, it throws a lot of Iraqi groups, organizations, and Arab names at you and expects you to remember them throughout the course of the book. My suggestion: take brief notes.
Interesting fact: Next to her husband, Eleonore Roosevelt's favorite man in the world was none other than Joseph Stalin, a man guilty of killing over 20,000,000 Georgians during his reign as Russian Premier.
Rating: 
Summary: mesmerising and honest
Review: as we watch with bated breath American troops and their Iraqi proxies fight tooth and nail to take the insurgent strong-hold of Fallujah in Iraq so i counsel all who care about what happens in this crucible to read and study carefully this magnificent book by the world's leading expert on Saddam Hussein. First, what this is not. In a new foreword Mr Coughlin admits with admirable honesty how he was taken as a fool by the shadowy people who live in the secret world of the spies. They fed him what he calls lies and he swallowed them as did others in a less exalted position. no excuses there then and now mr Coughlin says he wished he had known there were no weapons of mass destruction. Be that as it might mr Coughlin argues with real logic the West had to take out Saddam. I take issue with him not on the why but the how. surely our own elite forces, aided by the British and others, could have gone in quietly and done for him and his friends and family. had that happened we could have avoided the mess of today. that is only my viwqw it is a small objection to what is a wonderful guide to Iraq. Well done!
Rating:
Summary: A Terrific Source
Review: Con Coughlin has put together an excellent biography on this Iraqi president. Though writing from a pro-western view, he gives a great amount of evidence and support for his claims. The book is an easy read and provides many thought-provoking facts about the history of the region, the upward mobility of Saddam, and the propoganda of the Iraqi government.Though I wouldn't go so far as to say that this is helpful in the "war/no war" debate, I can certainly recommend immediately for those that want to gain a better understanding of just who this man is, where he comes from, how he rose to power, and how he as stayed in the presidential seat for so long. After reading this book, I feel I have gained a larger understanding of the conflict in the Middle East, and the responses of the people. In reading this book I have discovered: 1. The massive and relentless propaganda this regime has spread using terrible tactics of threat, fear, and death. 2. Iraq is mainly a division of three groups of people: the Kurds (north), the Shiites (south), and the Sunni (the smallest group in the middle; Saddam's group). Neither those in the North, nor in the South, desire Saddam in power. 3. The ruthless and terrible acts of evil Saddam has committed against his own Iraqi people. 4. The Iraqi economy could have sufficient strength (through its oil industry) to be a nation of culture and sophistication. However, Saddam and his son's continue to squander much of the funds on the military, funding weapons of mass destruction development sites, large and numerous underground shelters, not to mention the cars, women, and overly-lavish palaces. 5. A great foreign relations history is provided that sheds a bit more light on the reasons why some countries may have decided not to support the coalition. France, for instance, is not only the country that sold Saddam his nuclear reactor, but has provided him with ample amount of weaponry. Germany, the country notorious of mustard gas during the World Wars, used such expertise in building facilities for chemical and biological toxin production in Iraq. What I think is most important to mention is that this book contains a great bibliography. It is important that we be able to examine the evidence for ourselves in order to come to a more objective understanding of such issues. While some of the evidence comes from personal interviews the author conducted with particular Iraqi defectors (remaining anonymous for their protection), the bibliography also contains a great many other credible and accessable works that we can examine and through which, build our own opinions on Iraq.
Rating:
Summary: A Terrific Source
Review: Con Coughlin has put together an excellent biography on this Iraqi president. Though writing from a pro-western view, he gives a great amount of evidence and support for his claims. The book is an easy read and provides many thought-provoking facts about the history of the region, the upward mobility of Saddam, and the propoganda of the Iraqi government. Though I wouldn't go so far as to say that this is helpful in the "war/no war" debate, I can certainly recommend immediately for those that want to gain a better understanding of just who this man is, where he comes from, how he rose to power, and how he as stayed in the presidential seat for so long. After reading this book, I feel I have gained a larger understanding of the conflict in the Middle East, and the responses of the people. In reading this book I have discovered: 1. The massive and relentless propaganda this regime has spread using terrible tactics of threat, fear, and death. 2. Iraq is mainly a division of three groups of people: the Kurds (north), the Shiites (south), and the Sunni (the smallest group in the middle; Saddam's group). Neither those in the North, nor in the South, desire Saddam in power. 3. The ruthless and terrible acts of evil Saddam has committed against his own Iraqi people. 4. The Iraqi economy could have sufficient strength (through its oil industry) to be a nation of culture and sophistication. However, Saddam and his son's continue to squander much of the funds on the military, funding weapons of mass destruction development sites, large and numerous underground shelters, not to mention the cars, women, and overly-lavish palaces. 5. A great foreign relations history is provided that sheds a bit more light on the reasons why some countries may have decided not to support the coalition. France, for instance, is not only the country that sold Saddam his nuclear reactor, but has provided him with ample amount of weaponry. Germany, the country notorious of mustard gas during the World Wars, used such expertise in building facilities for chemical and biological toxin production in Iraq. What I think is most important to mention is that this book contains a great bibliography. It is important that we be able to examine the evidence for ourselves in order to come to a more objective understanding of such issues. While some of the evidence comes from personal interviews the author conducted with particular Iraqi defectors (remaining anonymous for their protection), the bibliography also contains a great many other credible and accessable works that we can examine and through which, build our own opinions on Iraq.
Rating:
Summary: A Timely Biography of a Vile Gangster
Review: Con Coughlin's biography of Saddam Hussein is very well written. Coughlin eloquently reveals Saddam Hussein's true colors - colors that should dispel the liberal illusion that regime change in Iraq was wrong. In addition, Coughlin writes for London's Sunday Telegraph. His reporting is top-notch, his insights invaluable. A recent report of his was that of a hand written memo discovered by the Iraqi Governing Council addressed to Saddam Hussein, written by Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti, saying that Mohammed Atta (chief 9/11 hijacker) has completed his training w/Abu Nidal in Baghdad and is now ready to "destroy the targets we seek to destroy". The truth hurts - especially for liberal propagandists. This book is a succint and eloquent biography of one of history's most egregious tyrants.
Rating:
Summary: A Timely Biography of a Vile Gangster
Review: Con Coughlin's biography of Saddam Hussein is very well written. Coughlin eloquently reveals Saddam Hussein's true colors - colors that should dispel the liberal illusion that regime change in Iraq was wrong. In addition, Coughlin writes for London's Sunday Telegraph. His reporting is top-notch, his insights invaluable. A recent report of his was that of a hand written memo discovered by the Iraqi Governing Council addressed to Saddam Hussein, written by Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti, saying that Mohammed Atta (chief 9/11 hijacker) has completed his training w/Abu Nidal in Baghdad and is now ready to "destroy the targets we seek to destroy". The truth hurts - especially for liberal propagandists. This book is a succint and eloquent biography of one of history's most egregious tyrants.
Rating:
Summary: Realistic picture of Saddam as a westerner can see it
Review: Con Coughlin's book on Saddam is written because the author clearly has something to say about his subject. He doesn't fall into typical trap of citing the most horrific stories told by the natural iraqi storytellers. Still he sees the specific aspects of Iraq, unlike some who equate Saddam with other tyrants of the world in the mood "parallel lives of Saddam and Hitler". Coughlin's strenght is Saddam's Iraq, which he masters well. As I have lived in Iraq for ten years (1980-1990) I feel I can regognize that. Many who write on Iraq tend to see that Saddam rules purely with the help of satan - like the US cold war propaganda explained the success of communism.
It can not be denied that Saddam's regime is very ruthless. Still it has given something to common iraqis. Coughlin notes the role of nationalizing Iraq's oil in 1972, which made iraqis to accept bath's rule and purge of communist and other elements in the first place. Coughlin places Saddam well within the clan system of Iraq. Saddam's rule is based on his family and clans attached to it. Coughlin doesn't deal much with islam, which also plays a role. Reason for this may be his lack of capacity. For example he talks in one place about seven pillars of islam (should be five)-in this he may mix with Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom. Anyway Coughlin makes a very good picture of Iraq's president. Compared to the unbalanced books from beginning of the 1990's, Coughlin has come a long way. I Expect that this book will last the test of time, unlike books rated by some commentators few years back as standard books on Saddam.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful
Review: I could not put this book down! It is very detailed and really shows the real Saddam to the reader. Can be very disturbing.
Rating: 
Summary: This book is a sham
Review: I recently purchased Con Coughlin's Saddam: King of Terror after reading Saddam Hussein: A Political Biogrpahy by Efraim Karsh and Inauri Rautsi. When I began reading Coughlin's book, certain phrases sounded rather familiar. Most of the material covered is exactly the same as Karsh and Rautsi's book with only a few minor differences. But far more importantly, on further investigation I found, without question, Mr. Coughlin is guilty of flat-out plagiarism. Whole phrases and passages are taken virtually word for word (and in some cases exactly word for word, without even adjusting the phrasing) from Karsh and Rautsi's Saddam Hussein: A Political Biography. For example, if you have access to a copy of Karsh and Rautsi's book, compare p. 153, (third paragraph) with Coughlin's p. 194 from the middle of the first full paragraph, beginning with "This guns-and-butter policy..." It's a shameless straight plagiarism! Notice Coughlin's book has no reviews on the back cover, an obvious tipoff to the dubious nature of this sham of a book. It is obvious that Coughlin has recycled, and in some instances blatantly plagiarized information that was carefully researched by other authors. Don't spend $27 on this book. I recommend Efraim Karsh and Inauri Rautsi's Saddam Hussein: A Political Biography.
Rating:
Summary: Scary family
Review: In a very well-written and researched book, Con Coughlin (no relation to this reviewer) spins a marvelous web of fact and evidence presented in a flowing, non-professorial style, often placing the reader in the midst of the action he describes so well. The characters in his Saddam saga are about as close to fiction as one could weave, given the outrageous brutality most of them displayed all the time. But sadly, this work is not fiction. Describing the pervasive murder, plotting, and intrigue that are Saddam's hallmarks, Coughlin leaves no stone unturned in describing bestial brutality not seen since the days of Hitler and Stalin. The difference in the three is the almost medieval style in which Saddam administers his particular brand of horror, while most of the world, as in all history, sat and watched. We can only hope that Coughlin can pen a sequel to this well-written work, to begin with the UNSCOM failures and George Bush's U. N. speech, carrying through to whatever the ultimate result will be. This riveting work will leave the reader chomping at the bit in serious anticipation for the next one to come.
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