Historical and Psychological Origins of Child Soldiering in Ba‘athist Iraq

Abstract

Under the auspices of loyalty and patriotism, Saddam Hussein manipulated and invoked the spiritual term futuwwa as the prime impetus to construct his people's army in Iraq. This article will examine the historical and psychological context of making child soldiers in Iraq, while drawing from similar examples worldwide. It identifies information operations campaigns utilized by Saddam Hussein and the Ba‘ath Party to indoctrinate youth throughout Iraq into a system modeled after those of the Nazis, and other fascist regimes.