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Iraqi President Saddam Hussein may be stepping aside in the near future in favor of his younger son Qusai, reports Stratfor, the global intelligence company.

The French newspaper L'Express and the London-based opposition Iraq Press both have reported that the world's most notorious dictator has been holding meetings with his two sons, Qusai and Uday, and elders from the president's ruling Tikriti clan, amid speculation that a change in leadership was on the agenda.

Qusai has long been seen as the heir apparent in Iraq. He has spent the past decade building a power base in the country and has almost total operational control over Iraq's armed forces. The appointment last year of a Qusai loyalist as foreign minister also gave Saddam's son control over the ministry. For Saddam, positioning Qusai as his replacement makes sense for several reasons.

By removing himself from the top leadership position, Saddam could make it more difficult for the United States to gain diplomatic support from European allies for an assault on Baghdad. And even if he were no longer president, the Iraqi strongman could still exert enough influence over his son to maintain control over the country. Finally, it would give Qusai the chance to weather Washington's hostility, which if handled successfully could ensure the future of Saddam's regime.

With the events of Sept. 11 now shaping U.S. policy in the Middle East, the impetus to oust Saddam and replace him with a U.S.-friendly regime in the oil-rich Persian Gulf country has grown stronger. Each day the Bush administration appears to be laying the foundations for Saddam's removal.

Earlier this year U.S. President George W. Bush allegedly ordered the CIA to launch a comprehensive covert operation to topple the Iraqi leader, the Washington Post reported June 16. The presidential order reportedly allows the CIA to use lethal force, to increase support for domestic and foreign-based opposition groups, to cultivate anti-Hussein sentiment in Iraq and possibly even deploy CIA and U.S. Special Forces units to the region. Though expansive military operations seem to be on hold for the moment, the possibility of a broader offensive remains.

Baghdad has taken several steps in recent months to counter the U.S. aggression. Most notably, Iraq maneuvered to reconcile with Kuwait at an Arab summit in Beirut in March. The government agreed "to respect the independence, sovereignty and security of the state of Kuwait and guarantee its safety and unity to avoid anything that might cause a repetition of what happened in 1990," the BBC reported.

The leader of the Iraqi delegation, Vice Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council Ezzat Ibrahim, said during the conference that his government hoped rapprochement with Kuwait would give it some security against the U.S. threat. The maneuver failed to mollify Washington, and in fact prompted a statement from the U.S. State Department announcing its skepticism of an improvement in Iraqi-Kuwait relations.

Saddam may now be planning to reconfigure the country's internal power structure as a bulwark against U.S. plans. By positioning Qusai as the next leader, Saddam may be hoping that a change in the face of the regime – with a Hussein still in charge but bringing less political and personal baggage – gives other countries the excuse needed to reopen ties.

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