Revisiting Saddam Hussein's Political Language: The sources and roles of conspiracy theories

Abstract

The article examines the political language used by Saddam Hussein, the leader of Iraq. Under discussion is Hussein's use of political speech with an emphasis on his references to conspiracy and conspiracy theories. These conspiracies appear to be divided into three categories: actual conspiracies, such as the use of faulty intelligence by George W. Bush, the U.S. president, to justify the U.S. invasion of Iraq and subsequent war, conspiracies that Hussein actually believed, and those that he used to justify a course of action and to win popular support. Show more