Makiya to Asharq Al-Awsat: Bush Wanted an Army to Oust Saddam, an Army to Rebuild Iraq

Kanan Makiya. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Kanan Makiya. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Makiya to Asharq Al-Awsat: Bush Wanted an Army to Oust Saddam, an Army to Rebuild Iraq

Kanan Makiya. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Kanan Makiya. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

Kanan Makiya, Iraqi architect and author of the “Republic of Fear” (1989), a best-selling book after Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, described the Baathist regime in Iraq as “exceptional” in terms of totalitarian and authoritarian rule in the world.

Overthrowing Saddam’s regime in Iraq was a matter of “morality, not politics,” Makiya told Asharq Al-Awsat in an interview on the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq.

In another book, “Cruelty and Silence” (1991), a critique of the Arab intelligentsia, he not only talked about how the Baathists established an intelligence state that led to Saddam’s takeover of power in 1979, but he also documented how the Baathists fought war after war, committed genocide and repressed a revolution brewing south of the country.

Makiya recounted details from the eve of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, when he met with then-US President George W. Bush. Makiya also met Bush after the toppling of Saddam.

He also encountered Vice President Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, and other senior US officials before and after the invasion.

When asked about his lobbying for the invasion of Iraq and the ouster of Saddam, Makiya acknowledged that he did hold that political stance back in the 1990s based on the need to get rid of the Baathist regime, which he called an “anomaly.”

Makiya argued that the Baathists would have repeated their invasion of Kuwait and decimated Iraqi society if left in power.

He later admitted he was mistaken and even apologized for his thinking at the time.

“My big mistake was misjudging the Iraqi opposition that I worked with and supported after the 1991 war,” he said.

Recounting events from two decades ago, he confirmed that “the idea of completely overthrowing Saddam for the US administration crystallized after the September 11 attacks in 2001.”

On January 31, 2003, the White House summoned Makiya to a meeting with Bush.

Besides Makiya, another three independent Iraqi opposition figures were at the meeting. Cheney, Rice, and former US Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz were present from the US side.

Bush started the meeting by announcing that his administration had decided to overthrow Saddam.

He said, “not one army, but two will enter Iraq,” according to Makiya, who says he interrupted the president in surprise to ask what he had meant by two armies.

Makiya, quoting Bush, said that the US is deploying “an army to remove Saddam and an army to rebuild Iraq.”

Jay Garner, a retired US lieutenant general who in 2003 was appointed as Director of the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance for Iraq, had contacted Makiya after the meeting with Bush.

Garner asked him if he would work with the US administration’s team to rebuild Iraq. Makiya declined. He told Garner he was an Iraqi academic and writer working with the opposition.

“I am neither a politician nor an administrator, and the Iraqi interest may not always coincide with US interests,” Makiya told Garner, thanking him regardless for the invitation.



Lebanon Sends Message of Confidence with First Local Elections

A Lebanese man casts his ballot during the Municipal elections at a polling station in Deir El Qamar, in the Chouf District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, southeast of Beirut, Lebanon, 04 May 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
A Lebanese man casts his ballot during the Municipal elections at a polling station in Deir El Qamar, in the Chouf District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, southeast of Beirut, Lebanon, 04 May 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Lebanon Sends Message of Confidence with First Local Elections

A Lebanese man casts his ballot during the Municipal elections at a polling station in Deir El Qamar, in the Chouf District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, southeast of Beirut, Lebanon, 04 May 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
A Lebanese man casts his ballot during the Municipal elections at a polling station in Deir El Qamar, in the Chouf District of the Mount Lebanon Governorate, southeast of Beirut, Lebanon, 04 May 2025. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Lebanon completed the first phase of its municipal and mayoral elections on Sunday, in a vote overseen by political and security authorities and hailed by officials as transparent.

The polls mark the country’s first electoral process under President Joseph Aoun, who sought to reassure voters that “the state is serious about safeguarding their right to express their views through the ballot box.”

Aoun described the vote’s integrity as a “message of trust to the world that Lebanon is beginning to recover, rebuild its institutions, and is now on the right track.”

Sunday’s vote covered Mount Lebanon province, the most populous region in the country.

The area includes a mix of religious and political affiliations, including Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold heavily damaged during Israel’s bombardment in the latest war on Lebanon.

Aoun made a field visit on Sunday to oversee Lebanon’s first municipal and mayoral elections since 2016, following years of delays caused by the country’s prolonged political and economic crises.

The president began his tour at the Ministry of Interior, where he met with Interior Minister Ahmed Al-Hajjar and Justice Minister Adel Nassar. The discussions focused on measures in place to safeguard the electoral process from any security or legal disruptions.

Both ministers assured the president of their full preparedness to address any challenges that may arise during the first phase of the vote, held in Mount Lebanon province.

Speaking to staff in the central operations room, Aoun called for “active and serious efforts” to ensure a smooth electoral process and to reassure citizens that the state is committed to protecting their right to vote freely.

He also urged voters to participate in large numbers and resist pressures based on sectarian, political or financial influences. “Do not let sectarian, partisan, or monetary factors sway your choice,” Aoun said.

Local elections were held across the districts of Jbeil, Keserwan, Metn, Aley, Baabda, and Chouf - areas where family and clan loyalties often outweigh political or sectarian affiliations in Lebanon’s complex electoral landscape.

As of late afternoon, with three hours remaining before polls closed, the Interior Ministry reported varying voter turnout rates across Mount Lebanon province.

Keserwan led with more than 53% turnout, followed by Jbeil nearing 50%. Aley registered 36.66%, Chouf 38%, Baabda 33.11%, and Northern Metn around 33%.