ABSTRACT
One of the most salient features of President Saddam Husayn's rule has been his ability to locate foci of trouble and take swift, preemptive action to ensure the survival of his regime. The Iranian offensive against Basra in January 1987, which was the fiercest and the most dangerous ever, coupled with Iraq's catastrophic economic situation, prompted Saddam Husayn to carry out another series of far-reaching and fundamental changes which he referred to as a revolution. The Gulf Cooperation Council and Arab countries' fear of an Iraqi collapse and its repercussions in the region galvanized anti-Iranian feelings and prompted more collective and clear-cut support for Iraq. Reforms were also geared at modernizing and developing industry with a view to decreasing Iraq's dependence on oil, increasing productivity and the manufacture of import substitutes to save hard currency and most important of all, developing an independent arms industry.
