Words on the War

We are astonished by Saddam Hussein. How should we understand this man’s apparent eagerness to wreak destruction on his nation, his casual brutality toward his closest advisers, or the pleasure he appears to derive from the wanton destruction of civilian populations and ecosystems within his reach? It is certainly not a cultural phenomenon. Hussein’s serene contemplation of the devastation spreading about him is as perplexing to his Arab and Islamic neighbors as it is to us. But quixotic visions have their appeal, and not only in the Middle East. He may be even more dangerous than we think.

--GARY G. SICK is the author of “All Fall Down: America’s Tragic Encounter With Iran,” and served on the National Security Council staff under Presidents Ford, Carter and Reagan.