History’s Echo: Why the US & Israel Are Repeating Saddam’s Mistake in Iran |
The mistake of 1980 was simple: Saddam Hussein believed that a nation’s hatred for its rulers is greater than its love for its soil. He was wrong. 45 years later, Washington and Tel Aviv appear to be making the exact same miscalculation with Iran.
In the early days of the 1980 invasion, Iraqi bombers did not just drop bombs. They also dropped leaflets. Written in Persian, these papers urged the Iranian people to rise against their own government, promising that Iran would be safe if the regime changed. Saddam Hussein believed that a regime only one year old, struggling from the post-revolution dismantling of its military, would crumble under the first sign of external pressure.
He was wrong. Instead of fracturing, the Iranian people, including Arabs, Baloch, and Kurds, who had deep grievances against the new government, instantly united for the integrity and sovereignty of Iran. The external threat acted as a catalyst for unity, transforming a chaotic political transition into the “Sacred Defense.”
Today, the leaflets have been replaced by cyber operations and satellite broadcasts amplifying the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement. The technology is different. The psychology used is identical. The moment foreign missiles touch Iranian soil, the grievance against the........