Were the people of Iraq better off before Saddam? Need links....

ON EDIT - Title was quickly and improperly typed and I do apologize. Were they better off before we invaded.... Sorry for the mess up.


Our local t.v. station has a call in talk show ever week. I just watched it and am furious. Some professor at a local university and the t.v. anchor were stating that the people of Iraq were oppressed, woman had no rights, they lived in poverty, etc. All that standard garbage the admin has spread that we were saving the people from their desparate lives in Iraq under SH.

If any of you have links to articles or reference materials that discuss the fact that yes, the people were living in a dictatorship and where not as "free" as you and I, they at least had museums, theaters, tea houses, the woman were not as oppressed as woman in other Islamic nations, etc., I would appreciate it if you could provide me with the links or advise where I should go to look for them.

I am tired of the anchor who protested how this war has been politicized and that the people of Iraq are better off than before we invaded. He had the nerve to question why liberals were opposed to the war since * & Co. were trying to liberate the Iraqi woman.

Please help. Thanks to all..

nor do I believe that Iraqis are better off now than before, but Saddam was brutal and the people lived in fear. That is well documented. Essentially, Iraqis still are in fear but the face of the person in charge has changed. You are right though, women in Iraq had more freedoms than most. In fact, Saddam was really not into being the "religious" leader until he saw he could benefit from it. He was so arrogant that he even claimed in the 90's to be a direct decendent of Muhammad.

he was a ruthless, cruel, dictator. But his dictatorship was note as extreme as others in existence now and they way these jokers on t.v. tonight made it sound, the USofA has saved the Iraqi people.

I would like to be able to read some reference material about what life was like under SH rule. Not perfect I know, but definitely not like it is now.