S8 Ep763: Reflecting on his childhood during the Iran-Iraq War, Abdul-Ahad recalls the pervasive militarization of society, where children wore military uniforms and celebrated hollow "victories." Saddam Hussein was revered as the "Leader of Necessity," justifying
The John Batchelor Show
John Batchelor
4.5 • 2.8K Ratings
🗓️ 18 April 2026
⏱️ 10 minutes
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Summary
Reflecting on his childhood during the Iran-Iraq War, Abdul-Ahad recalls the pervasive militarization of society, where children wore military uniforms and celebrated hollow "victories." Saddam Hussein was revered as the "Leader of Necessity," justifying his absolute authority. Crucially, Abdul-Ahad argues that pre-2003 Iraq was defined by class and geography rather than sectarianism — the Sunni-Shia divide was a narrative largely "imposed" by exiles and the conditions created by the American-led war. (2)
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| 0:42.5 | This is CBSI on the world. |
| 0:43.3 | I'm John Batcher. |
| 0:45.4 | I'm with the author and journalist. |
| 0:49.4 | Reith Abdelahad, his new book is A Stranger in Your Own City, |
| 0:51.8 | travels in the Middle East long war. |
| 0:56.5 | Wraith, you paint a beautiful scene of your father and showing you in the Middle East long war. Braith, you paint a beautiful scene of your father and showing you in the high in the sky over Baghdad, |
| 1:00.0 | an F4 Phantom. |
| 1:01.8 | Who was your father at that moment? |
| 1:03.8 | What did he make of the F4 Phantom for the, |
| 1:06.5 | I believe you were five years old? |
| 1:09.5 | I was five. |
| 1:10.5 | My father was a, what do we call an amateur, interested in aviation and planes and |
| 1:17.2 | collected all these, you know, foreign magazines about airplanes and jet fighters. |
| 1:22.8 | He had a few friends who were pilots in the Iraqi Air Force. |
| 1:25.4 | So this is why he could, you know, spot the F4 flying over Baghdad. |
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