The Shi'a uprising against Saddam Hussein in the aftermath of the Gulf War has fallen foul not only of American fears of an Iran-style Islamic republic in Iraq, but of Arab solidarity with the defeated dictator. The Shi'a rebellion was part of a democratic coalition of opposition, including the Kurds. Although ignored by the west, it is seen by Arabs and Sunni fundamentalists as a US-inspired conspiracy against Islam and the Arab world. Everyman asks whether conflicting loyalties may yet bolster Saddam Hussein.