--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But from the moment George Bush decided…" description: "\"But from the moment George Bush decided to overthrow Saddam, the people who were going to benefit here were the Shia, who are 60 percent of the populat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/patrick-cockburn-28053_benefits_but-from-the-moment-george-bush-decided_921634.png" --- # But from the moment George Bush decided to overthrow… ![“But from the moment George Bush decided to overthrow Saddam, the people who were going to benefit here were the Shia, who are 60 percent of the population. So if you were ever going to have an election, then the Shia would take over.” quote by Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/patrick-cockburn-28053_benefits_but-from-the-moment-george-bush-decided_921634.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/patrick-cockburn-28053_benefits_but-from-the-moment-george-bush-decided_921634.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b6/patrick-cockburn-28053_benefits_but-from-the-moment-george-bush-decided_921634.png) > “But from the moment George Bush decided to overthrow Saddam, the people who were going to benefit here were the Shia, who are 60 percent of the population. So if you were ever going to have an election, then the Shia would take over.” [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The overthrow of Saddam created a power shift favoring the Shia majority, influencing future elections and political dynamics. **In simple terms:** Saddam's removal altered power balance toward Shia. Key Takeaway Recognize demographic impacts on politics. Themes power demographics politics conflict regional stability Mood analytical concerned Type informative critical When to use this quote - policy planning - academic research - journalistic reporting - NGO advocacy Key Concepts ethnic majorities electoral outcomes foreign intervention sectarian tension Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can prevent sectarian dominance? - How do demographic changes reshape governance? A Different Perspective Complex sectarian dynamics can lead to instability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Benefit Shia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benefit-shia-1431591/) [Benefits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/benefits/) [Decided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decided/) [Election](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election/) [Election Shia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/election-shia-1431590/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Overthrow Saddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overthrow-saddam-1431593/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Percent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/percent/) [Population](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/population/) [Saddam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saddam/) [Shia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shia/) [Shia 60](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shia-60-1431592/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [An American-led overthrow of Saddam Hussein - and the replacement of the radical Baathist dictatorship with a new government more closely aligned with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-frum/an-american-led-overthrow-of-saddam-hussein-and-the-replacement-of/) [David Frum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-frum/) > [Scores of Iraqi exiles met in London to discuss ways to overthrow Saddam Hussein in a grand gathering dubbed the 'Iraqi Military Alliance Meeting.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/scores-of-iraqi-exiles-met-in-london-to-discuss-ways-to-overthrow/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [If the Americans go in and overthrow Saddam Hussein and it's clean, he has nothing, I will apologize to the nation, and I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-o-reilly/if-the-americans-go-in-and-overthrow-saddam-hussein-and-it-s-clean-he/) [Bill O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-o-reilly/) > [It was right to overthrow Saddam Hussein. It was the regime itself that was a threat. I think in hindsight, what I would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bolton/it-was-right-to-overthrow-saddam-hussein-it-was-the-regime-itself/) [John Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bolton/) > [ It \[the intelligence service\] concludes that Iraq has chemical and biological weapons, that Saddam has continued to produce them, that he has existing and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-blair/it-the-intelligence-service-concludes-that-iraq-has-chemical-and/) [Tony Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-blair/) > [Turkey is saying that it wants to preserve Sunni dominance in Mosul. Obviously, there, the Kurds, the Shia, the Iraqi government have their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/turkey-is-saying-that-it-wants-to-preserve-sunni-dominance-in-mosul/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [Muqtada is radical in the sense that he wants the U.S. occupation to end and has always said so from the beginning. Secondly, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/muqtada-is-radical-in-the-sense-that-he-wants-the-u-s-occupation-to/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [Muqtada leads the only real mass movement in Iraq. It's a mass movement of the Shia, who are 60 percent of the population, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/muqtada-leads-the-only-real-mass-movement-in-iraq-it-s-a-mass/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [Young Shia who have been brought up with nothing, who are pretty anarchic, pretty dangerous. In 2004 when they came close to killing me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/young-shia-who-have-been-brought-up-with-nothing-who-are-pretty/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [I don't think the whole of Iraq would be under al-Sadr, but I think he would be the predominant force on the Shia side.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/i-don-t-think-the-whole-of-iraq-would-be-under-al-sadr-but-i-think-he/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [There are some things that could hold it together, notably oil revenues. But at the moment, the much vaunted surge has had a measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/there-are-some-things-that-could-hold-it-together-notably-oil/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [ Muqtada belongs to the most famous religious family in Iraq, which is the al-Sadr family. He's really the third in line. \[Muqtada's father\] drew… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/muqtada-belongs-to-the-most-famous-religious-family-in-iraq-which-is/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [Unfortunately, the source of all this conflict between the Sunnis and Shia is some major powers that do not want religious unity amongst Muslims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yousef-saanei/unfortunately-the-source-of-all-this-conflict-between-the-sunnis-and/) [Yousef Saanei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yousef-saanei/) > [ Until quite recently I've been wholly cut off from \[the Shias\] because their tenets forbid them to look upon an unveiled woman and my… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-bell/until-quite-recently-i-ve-been-wholly-cut-off-from-the-shias-because/) [Gertrude Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-bell/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) ## More by Patrick Cockburn > [There are some things that could hold it together, notably oil revenues. But at the moment, the much vaunted surge has had a measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/there-are-some-things-that-could-hold-it-together-notably-oil/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [Mosul stands rally at a sort of juncture of sectarian and ethnic differences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/mosul-stands-rally-at-a-sort-of-juncture-of-sectarian-and-ethnic/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [I don't think the whole of Iraq would be under al-Sadr, but I think he would be the predominant force on the Shia side.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/i-don-t-think-the-whole-of-iraq-would-be-under-al-sadr-but-i-think-he/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [Young Shia who have been brought up with nothing, who are pretty anarchic, pretty dangerous. In 2004 when they came close to killing me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/young-shia-who-have-been-brought-up-with-nothing-who-are-pretty/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [Muqtada leads the only real mass movement in Iraq. It's a mass movement of the Shia, who are 60 percent of the population, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/muqtada-leads-the-only-real-mass-movement-in-iraq-it-s-a-mass/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [Muqtada is radical in the sense that he wants the U.S. occupation to end and has always said so from the beginning. Secondly, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/muqtada-is-radical-in-the-sense-that-he-wants-the-u-s-occupation-to/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [Despite the fact that there's billions of dollars sitting in the Iraqi government reserves, somehow they are incapable of getting it out to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/despite-the-fact-that-there-s-billions-of-dollars-sitting-in-the/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [You know, if you want to meet a lot of Iraqi leaders, the best places are the hotels in Amman or in London. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/you-know-if-you-want-to-meet-a-lot-of-iraqi-leaders-the-best-places/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [There's a lot of expectation in the Middle East that post-Obama there will be a sort of tougher U.S. line on Assad, there will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/there-s-a-lot-of-expectation-in-the-middle-east-that-post-obama-there/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [ Muqtada belongs to the most famous religious family in Iraq, which is the al-Sadr family. He's really the third in line. \[Muqtada's father\] drew… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/muqtada-belongs-to-the-most-famous-religious-family-in-iraq-which-is/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [Turkey is saying that it wants to preserve Sunni dominance in Mosul. Obviously, there, the Kurds, the Shia, the Iraqi government have their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/turkey-is-saying-that-it-wants-to-preserve-sunni-dominance-in-mosul/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [It's always sort of amazing, sitting in Baghdad, to watch visiting dignitaries being received in the Green Zone by politicians who have usually very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/it-s-always-sort-of-amazing-sitting-in-baghdad-to-watch-visiting/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [Everything that happens in Iraq affects countries outside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/everything-that-happens-in-iraq-affects-countries-outside/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [A defeat for ISIS in Iraq will be defeat for ISIS in Syria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-cockburn/a-defeat-for-isis-in-iraq-will-be-defeat-for-isis-in-syria/) [Patrick Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-cockburn/) > [There are sort of Kurdish districts there in Mosul, or there used to be, but the Kurds mostly fled or were driven out. 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Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Shortly after I turned 50, both Ted Turner and the AARP came into my life. The only difference? With AARP, there were benefits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/shortly-after-i-turned-50-both-ted-turner-and-the-aarp-came-into-my/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [Politics is about power. It is about the power of the state. 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