[TomGuy]

How the heck did he take over and hold the country for 30 years if he's that militarily stupid?

You start with gun control--to disarm the populace. Then you create a band of thugs (feydaheen/gestapo) to enforce order. Then you can starve the people and use the nation's oil wealth for your personal use. Make the people dependent on you for even their daily food.

[JLS]

And you reward you tribe/sect the Sunni and they help you against the Kurds and Shiite.

[TigersEye]

How the heck did he take over and hold the country for 30 years if he's that militarily stupid?

You start with gun control--to disarm the populace. Then you create a band of thugs (feydaheen/gestapo ATF/DEA) to enforce order. Then you can starve the people and use the nation's oil wealth (institute socialized medicine, tax top 10% wage earners, create hate thought crimes, cripple education at its foundation and throw money at it as a cure) for your personal use. Make the people dependent on you for even their daily food.

Hello, Hitlery! Seig heil! (Welfare victory!)