Saddam hussein kicked off the year with a defiant military parade in Baghdad, startling Western military experts with a display of new missiles and refurbished tanks. He sent his deputies to Cairo and Damascus, where they upgraded Iraq's political ties and signed free-trade agreements with Egypt and Syria, key U.S. allies in the Gulf War against Saddam a decade ago. Then came last week's Arab Summit.
In sessions broadcast live around the Middle East, the various heads of state loudly declared support for Palestinians fighting Israeli occupation. But Saddam's comeback was the hot topic on the sidelines. Ten...
