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| | Al-Ahram Weekly Books The past, and future, of Iraq |
 | | One such was Ahmed Hassan Al-Bakr, Saddam's predecessor, who cultivated his own following within the armed forces and party, where relations were based upon common provincial backgrounds and clan relationships rather than on clear ideological affinities. |
 | | Like his predecessors in all previous Iraqi regimes, Al-Bakr used land distribution, and the fact that the state was prime landlord, to benefit his personal position. |
 | | In chapters five and six of his book, Tripp offers a fascinating account of the rise to power of Saddam Hussein coupled with an account of the rise of the Ba'ath Party together with its structure of powerful Ba'athist officers. |
| weekly.ahram.org.eg /2001/516/bo1.htm (1885 words) |
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