Justice Overdue
Saddam Hussein’s Death Sentence
By D.W.
After a long and nearly comical trail that rivaled a Spanish novella
television show, Saddam Hussein, the former dictator of Iraq was
sentenced to death by hanging. While we should be glad that Saddam’s
execution was carried out, we shouldn’t expect immediate benefits for Iraq.
His sentence and hanging is important for the Iraqi people and for the coalition
mission because his innumerable victims can move forward in their
recovery.
However, it is only one milestone in Iraq’s recovery and not the
benchmark of victory.
Saddam was officially convicted of war crimes by the Iraqi High
Tribunal and sentenced for murdering 148 Shiite’s in 1982. This of
course is one of only thousands of crimes he could be convicted of
and executed for, but the charge was probably the most politically
viable and easiest to prove. Saddam received his sentence in
defiance shouting “God is Great” and I suppose he always knew he was
going to get executed.
The trial and execution of Saddam is an important part
of the national healing process, but only a part of it.
We shouldn’t expect too much out of his death in the near term and
it won’t decrease the level of violence in Iraq either. All what the
U.S. and Iraqi leaders can hope for is to show the Iraqi people that
the justice system can work and bring some closure for their
personal tragedies.
Perhaps it will give some the courage to persevere and build a
peaceful nation.
We must remember that Iraq is probably one of the most
psychologically traumatized nations on the planet. After decades of
vicious Baath party rule where everyone was a suspected traitor,
eight years of war with Iran, two wars with America, ten years of
sanctions, and a culture of blood feuds and honor killings have
taken their toll on the Iraqi people. The national psyche is damaged
beyond a point that Saddam’s death could repair.
Some regime
loyalists will be strongly tempted to retaliate for the verdict and
for the execution. Many Iraqi’s will no doubt want to march
and celebrate publicly, which could get out of hand if the gathering
were attacked.
The continued trial and justice of more of Saddam’s minions will
further the healing process and De-Baathification of Iraq.
The Baath ideology was never really pure in recent times.
The Baath
party was no more than a Saddam fan club and loyalty group even if
it was born of high socialist ideals. The Baath party as a political
organization is probably not one of the most credible threats to the
Iraqi government and the coalition. However, its continual
destruction is good progress for the country.
But more importantly, the death sentence is a great revelation for
other dictators across the world and especially in the Muslim world.
The U.S. may be bogged down in Iraq, but we can impose our will upon
dictators and embarrass them in front of the world.
The subtle message to Arab leaders and their henchmen is watch out,
this could be you!
It also signals the Arab people that sometimes not even powerful
dictators are above the law. Perhaps this will give some of them
hope for political reform and embolden other to seek change.
The trial of Saddam also makes great strides in advancing the cause
of human rights and international humanitarian law.
Saddam’s trial may have been painfully long and comical but the U.N.
criminal tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda are even more pitiful.
Former Yugoslavian dictator Slobodan Milosevic may have even rivaled
Saddam in viciousness but he got off much easier than Saddam will.
Milosevic died of a heart attack in a comparatively comfy Dutch
prison, leaving his victims less than satisfied.
Saddam may have gone out in defiance, but he will be hung in shame
with his
death publicly recorded.
On the home front, Saddam’s verdict and execution is being spinned and employed as
a crass political tool by both parties but more so by the Democrats
who feel as if it hurt them before the election. It forces people to
remember why we went into Iraq in the first place and makes it
harder to deny that any good progress is being made there. Liberals
will no doubt try to spin the execution as being meaningless even
though it is not.
Some Republicans will try to spin it as being more significant than
it really is.
As President Bush has stated, it is a milestone event for Iraq but
only one on the long highway of nation building that for better or
worse, we are committed too.
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