The memory of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's assumption of power; when this phrase is presented to us today after so many years, fleeting images from a long history pass through our minds, if only for moments. This is especially if you were a witness to those events firsthand, or if you chose to revisit and understand them later on.

Following the 1968 coup and the Ba'ath Party's takeover of power, the presidency was assumed by former Iraqi President Ahmad Hassan al-Bakr. Meanwhile, Saddam Hussein took on the role of security chief. At a time when internal clashes were rampant between different groups and sects, between Sunnis and Shiites, and between Iraqis and Kurds, Hussein believed that the solution to achieving internal political stability, maintaining rule, and elevating the Ba'ath Party's status was a mix of repression and meeting the people's needs, such as improving living standards. He established stringent security apparatuses and founded the Iraqi Intelligence Service. He also prioritized the public by championing education, announcing free education up to higher levels, and launching literacy campaigns for peasants and workers. He headed conferences and seminars to promote the role of women and the importance of their education. The real economic prosperity began after the 1973 oil crisis, where oil prices soared a year later, elevating Iraq's living standard to the highest in the Arab world. Hussein also established one of the most advanced healthcare systems in the Middle East, earning him an award from UNESCO, gaining people's approval, albeit briefly.

Border disputes played their role in creating animosities and waging wars. A conflict arose between Iraq and Iran over the Shatt al-Arab, which escalated when Iran supported the Kurds in their war against the Iraqis, leading to intense fighting and airstrikes on Kurdish separatist bases. The conflict initially ended with the signing of the Algiers Agreement in 1975. However, with the success of the Iranian Revolution in 1979, the same year Saddam Hussein assumed the Iraqi presidency, skirmishes restarted, culminating in the eight-year war between Iraq and Iran in 1980, known as the First Gulf War. This conflict resulted in over a million casualties on both sides, in addition to the wounded and prisoners. The material losses amounted to hundreds of billions, deteriorating the state of both countries during their peak prosperity stages.

Two years after the Iraq-Iran war ended, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait occurred, with over 727 Kuwaiti oil wells set ablaze. This turned a war between two nations into one of the most significant environmental disasters the Gulf countries had ever faced, leading to the Second Gulf War to liberate Kuwait from the Iraqi invasion, coupled with economic sanctions imposed on Iraq. In 2003, the U.S. invasion of Iraq took place, where the primary reasons cited were the former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's possession of weapons of mass destruction and fears that he would wage more bloody wars than he had before. Following this, Saddam Hussein disappeared for a brief period, sparking one of the most extensive manhunts in history. He became the number one target, described as the highest value by the U.S. military. He was eventually found on a farm south of Tikrit, was tried, and charged with crimes of genocide in the Dujail case and the Anfal campaign that killed thousands of Kurds. For these crimes against humanity, he was sentenced to death by hanging. The sentence was carried out in full view of the entire world on the morning of the first day of the blessed Eid al-Adha, December 30, 2006.

No one has authority over history, its events, or its figures. Nor does anyone have the power to decide whose memory should be revived and whose should be erased. History belongs to everyone. In it, you have the right to research, study, express opinions, and select the figures you cherish or avoid mentioning because they do not align with your desires or principles. However, you cannot deny their existence. If someone did not possess a unique presence, their reputation would not have reached you.