When Saddam Hussein was captured by Coalition forces in December 2003, politicians in The White House believed this would be the turning point they needed to bring democracy to Iraq. Their task was to root out the minority forces still supporting Saddam and bring security and stability to the country. John Nixon, senior analyst in the CIA, was the first to interrogate Saddam after his capture. Having been the object of his obsession for years, Nixon was now found himself face to face with the brutal dictator. Here was his chance to get answers to the questions that had long haunted him. Saddam’s answers however leave Nixon both surprised and horrified. During the five week interrogation Saddam explains, "You Americans, you don’t understand what you have done. Iraq will become the playing field for international terrorism." Prophetic words played out in the grim reality of the years following Saddam’s execution.

Originally released by BBC Worldwide Learning, 2020. Streaming video file encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on April 30, 2021.