"Let me know when you figure out why he did not (ask the UN for protection from the US.)
Pride. He was going to go down on history as a hero.; I understand he had bricks printed with something like "Built in the dynasty of Saddam."
And his character. In the past he showed reluctance to comply with the UN resolutions, but he was not reluctant to use WMDs when he did have them.
And what reason would he have for thinking the US would obey the UN? The UN didn't want us to invade as it was, even though Sadddam didn't appeal to them. "An illegal war," according to Kofi Annam.