How The CIA Got Iraq SO WRONG: The Beginning (Ep1/6)

How did Saddam Hussein become one of history’s most notorious dictators? How did the Iran-Iraq war begin? And what really happened to Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction? Listen as David and Gordon begin their 6-part series on one of history’s biggest intelligence failures: Iraq WMD. 00:00 The Truth Behind The Iraq War 01:06 AD 02:21 Why Iraq Still Shapes The World Today 04:44 How The Iraq War Changed The Middle East 07:25 The WMD Intelligence Failure 09:31 Did Politicians Lie Or Did Intelligence Fail? 11:41 A Transatlantic Intelligence Failure 13:06 Why Saddam Hussein Is Central To The Story 14:18 Saddam’s Violent Childhood 17:24 Saddam Joins The Ba’ath Party 19:46 The Failed Assassination Plot 22:09 How Saddam Learned To Hold Power 23:10 Saddam Becomes Iraq’s President 25:36 Saddam Turns Against Iran 28:23 AD 29:28 America’s Complicated Relationship With Saddam 31:50 The Iran-Contra Affair 33:51 Saddam’s Weapons Of Mass Destruction 35:10 Israel Destroys Iraq’s Nuclear Reactor 38:35 Saddam’s Secret Nuclear Programme 42:13 Saddam’s Chemical Weapons 44:47 The Horror Of Halabja 48:12 Why Saddam Invaded Kuwait 49:38 Did America Fail To Stop Saddam? 53:03 Why Saddam Didn’t Use Chemical Weapons 55:04 The Gulf War Begins 57:04 Why Saddam Survived 59:27 America Turns To Regime Change 1:00:20 What Happened To Saddam’s WMD? ------------------- ➡️ Join the Declassified Club to go deeper into the world of espionage with exclusive Q&As, interviews with top intelligence insiders, regular livestreams, ad-free listening, early access to episodes and live show tickets, and weekly deep dives into original spy stories. Members also get curated reading lists, special book discounts, prize draws, and access to our private chat community. Just go to https://therestisclassified.com 🔓 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 🗞️ Sign-up for our free newsletter where producer Becki takes you behind the scenes of the show: https://mailchi.mp/goalhanger.com/tri... ------------------ Get a 10% discount on business PCs, printers and accessories using the code TRIC10. Visit https://HP.com/CLASSIFIED for more information. T&C's apply. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ✅ Subscribe Here:    / @restisclassifiedsub_confirmation=1   🎙️ Listen To The Podcast: https://linktr.ee/triclassified -------------------------------------- 📱 Follow Us On Socials: Facebook: / https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?... Instagram: / https://www.instagram.com/restisclass... TikTok: /   / restisclassified   Twitter: / https://x.com/triclassified -------------------------------------- 📩 Email: [email protected] -------------------------------------- Social Producer: Emma Jackson Producer: Becki Hills Head of History: Dom Johnson Exec Producer: Tony Pastor