Body language reveals the cracks in dictator's façade

SADDAM HUSSEIN’S body language revealed he was dismissive of the court and challenged its authority — but his performance overall showed he is a shadow of his former self, an expert said yesterday.

During the court appearance in Baghdad the defiant former dictator rejected charges of war crimes and genocide, telling a judge that "this is all theatre, the real criminal is Bush".

But SMARTraining's Robert Phipps, a body language expert, said some of Saddam's gestures indicated cracks in his armour: "He remains looking forward at the prosecutor except when the charges are being read out, when he started to show the cracks in his emotions.

"His blinking rate increases rapidly and he then starts stroking his chin as though contemplating past actions.

"He also accesses his 'internal dialogue channel' by looking down and to his left."

Steepling his fingers, using the 'finger baton' finger pointing up and down and derogatory thumb gestures are some of the unspoken ways the former dictator indicated his challenge to and dismissal of the authority of the court.

But he has to use more gestures than ever before, according to Mr Phipps, because his previous power meant people would act on his words alone.

Mr Phipps added: "It is a challenging performance but there are chinks in his make-up in as much as he is lowering his head at various points, like when the charges are being read.

"You will notice throughout, the series of events his head constantly goes from being up showing arrogance, not taking any of this on board to at other times throwing stuff back to him his head drops slightly and his eyes go down and to the left. That is internal dialogue.

"I was expecting to see eye movements as he either recalled or rebutted, but he is predominantly looking straight down or to the left.

"Steepling his fingers showed confidence and again he was dismissive, but overall a shadow of the former man.

"He is not doing it in typical Saddam fashion, he doesn't seem to be particularly authoritative in his voice.

"The old Saddam would have been able to stand there and dictate, but now he realises he can't do that, and he is having to play a slightly different role to manipulate the viewing audience and the court."