an invention of saddam hussein. stalin realized that ethnic minorities even in senior positions couldn't constitute a threat for the regime given their lack of a power base. in iraq the asyrians have the reputation of being very tidy and punctual and having no political ambitions, and thus, they were a natural group to employ. the real concern for the country's leadership, however, was the people who were on the inside whether in the army or the security organizations including the sso, and this applied to those in senior positions as well. thus, the insecurity of the masses was sup mr. supplementedy the insecurity of the government elite who surrounded the dictator. the files of the sso are rife with example of sso employees being monitored, arrested and punished. many had their telephone tapped