Dyer's impetus for writing this book was Saddam Hussein's rebuilding of the ancient city of Babylon, a subject I knew nothing about from news reports over the years. The rebuilding began soon after the start of the Iran-Iraq War, and Dyer argues that this act of reconstruction was meant to serve as a reminder and inspiration to the Iraqi people of their centuries-old antagonism for the Persians who had conquered them. Hussein consciously cast himself in the role of Nebuchadnezzar's successor, implanting an image of himself as not only the man destined to restore the country to greatness but as the man who would unite Arabs against their ancient enemies, the Persians and the Jews. All of this is very interesting, but this book's greatest strength is its presentation of the ancient story that Hussein was consciously trying to manipulate for his own selfish reasons. The Rise of Babylon offers a very readable recounting of the history of both the Babylonians and the Hebrews. The prophecies of both ancient prophets such as Isaiah, Daniel, and Jeremiah as well as those expressed in the New Testament are unchanging, and Babylon's place in Earth's final tribulations is foretold and of great importance, even if Saddam Hussein may not play the direct role in such events suggested in this book. This is not really a book about Hussein; it is a book on Babylon's integral place in Biblical history and prophecy, and for that reason Dyer's very readable text is by no means invalidated by the course of events in the Middle East since the time of its publication.

Now that the 2003 Persian Gulf War is over, let's see if those "weapons of mass destruction" are found in Iraq, as President Bush insisted they would be. Any bets?