ABSTRACT

The Moroccan monarch concluded his speech by urgently cautioning the Iraqi president about the consequences of a military confrontation, which would end not only with the destruction of the Iraqi military machine, but also with Iraq’s return to the period of ‘the mandate’. Many had hoped that the Iraqi president would leave the stage and place his onerous legacy on the shoulders of one of his colleagues. However, Saddam Hussein disappointed all the hopes. Saddam Hussein was content to return as a survivor from his adventure in Kuwait. However, staying alive in a regime such as Saddam Hussein’s requires staying at the apex of power. The means used by Saddam Hussein to remain in power are the same means which have proved their effectiveness in the past. In Jordan, with peerless political skill, King Hussein has completely reversed his tendency to go along with the invasion of Kuwait.