Saddam Hussein The Middle East is an extremely volatile region of the world, and much of the current instability may be due to one man, Saddam Hussein. During the last few years, under Hussein's direction, Iraq has gone from being an oil rich country to a country that is suffering major embargoes and is low on supplies. Iraqi leaders are trying to leave as they realize how power can corrupt a man. If Hussein stays in power, the future looks bleak for the Gulf region. Iraq used to be a prosperous country. Oil was the main source of income for the area. During the Iran-Iraq War (Gulf War 1), which was from September 1980 to August 1988, Iraq went from being a wealthy country to a very poo