DOD releases another "Saddam Report": He thought Bush was bluffing

http://www.dcmilitary.com/army/pentagram/10_63/national_news/40543-1.html

Report on Hussein released
Insights provided to dictators mindset before invasion

by Donna Miles
American Forces Press Service


Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was so convinced the United States was unwilling to accept casualties he never believed the country would invade Iraq, and was far more worried about an internal revolt, a new, unclassified version of a Defense Department report issued Friday reveals.

The "Iraqi Perspective Project" views military operations in Iraq from March through May 1, 2003, through the eyes of senior Iraqi civilian and military leaders.

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The report reveals that Saddam never believed such a conflict would ever occur, Cucolo said. "Saddam believed the United States was casualty-averse to an absolutely incredible degree," Cucolo said.

Saddam based that on several factors -- the fact that he received only a diplomatic note after Iraqi Mirage fighters fired on the USS Stark in 1987, the United States left Somalia after losing 19 troops, and its failure to commit ground troops early on in Kosovo, the team's research revealed.

In addition, Saddam believed Russia and France would protect their own economic interests by blocking any United Nations Security Council authorization of an invasion, the report notes. "He was counting on other members of the international community to assist him in any way that he saw fit," Cucolo said.