Saddam

Ever since he was hanged, I have been meaning to write about Saddam's execution. But the responses to the execution have been universally banal at best and silly and laughable at worst. Everyone, universally, condemned the hanging, criticised the hastened trial and some, at the height of hyperbole, wanted Bush hanged instead. I thought I would wait a while more to see if there were alternate viewpoints to this but to no avail. Then I decided to write one myself.

I have nothing against Saddam's execution. Even those who opposed the hanging only questioned the manner of the trial and never said he was innocent or a clean man. Everyone's aware of his massacre of Kurds, his excited (and US sponsored) war with Iran that killed millions and his enmity with Shias that resulted in murders by thousands. This apart, the number of people who were jailed, tortured and killed simply because they opposed his ruling is countless. During the Gulf war, while US and Iraq were fighting along the Kuwait borders, Saddam sent a few missiles towards Israel in the hope that an instigated Israel will trigger an Arab war. Ever since the Gulf war, around five million children died in Iraq due to lack of medical assistance because of the sanctions. Ironically the critics slammed US for imposing these sanctions but did not question why Saddam did nothing to help lift these sanctions and watched them die. As Indian constitution states, capital punishment is awarded to rarest of the rare crimes and what happened is even above being called rare.

The fact that the Shia observers, during his execution, ridiculed him and passed lewd comments would not erase all these heinous acts by one of the highly feared dictator of the late 20th century.

My thinking is Saddam's elimination is essential for the post 9/11 world that has a renewed approach to terrorism. Terrorism cannot be eliminated totally by counter-insurgency but there is no other way to talk to terrorists. Our offer to talk to them is often seen as a sign of weakness. As such there is nothing we can really talk and resolve with them. Their demands often are destruction and recognition for racism and religious fanatism. Talks really cannot resolve these things. Post 9/11, they were being chased away from every part of the world and were looking eagerly for a safe haven. Iraq could easily have provided it considering Saddam's vengeance against US. With his execution, this has been prevented.

Again, this will not stop the terrorists. They may become angrier, more vigorous, and much more resolved. Fifty years of aggression towards terrorists hasn't helped Israel much. Just as many years of softness haven’t helped India either. We have to cut as many lifelines as possible and make the life of terrorists tedious. I consider Saddam's execution as one such act.

Saddam lived by the gallows. It is only fare that he died by it.