Iraq: Sacrifice for Saddam? Not This Time Around

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Likewise in Jordan, King Abdullah II is pushing the slogan "Jordan First." Jordan's standing with the U.S. was badly hurt by the country's tilt toward Saddam in 1991, and Abdullah has signaled he will not repeat that cycle. In Egypt, officials are busy telling reporters that while President Hosni Mubarak opposes a war, he has absolutely no time for Saddam. In a scathing commentary headlined THE MADNESS OF BAGHDAD and written by editor Ibrahim Nafie, the government daily al-Ahram blamed future chaos in Iraq on the "megalomania of some in Baghdad."

More than ever, prominent Arab writers and activists are openly expressing opposition to Saddam without fear that they will be seen as American puppets. Earlier this month, 31 of them signed an open letter published in major Arab newspapers calling for Saddam's dismissal or resignation to avert a war. The signatories, who included the Palestinian-American writer Edward W. Said, described Saddam's rule as "a nightmare for Iraq and the Arab world."

In 1991 Fuad al-Afghani, a souvenir seller in Amman, made a fortune on Saddam's popularity. He reckons he sold 50,000 items, such as Saddam wristwatches and Scud lapel pins. Last week, as he stood in a shop brimming with copper trays and Bedouin rugs, al-Afghani said he would not be touting Saddam trinkets this time around, not with Jordan's government frowning on the Iraqi President. Al-Afghani still admires the man, but he figures, "Why give myself a headache?" It's the kind of sentiment that signals a romance is breaking up. --With reporting by Amany Radwan/Cairo, Matt Rees/Jerusalem and Simon Robinson/Kuwait City