Saddam Hussein's spirit never seems to die...
As if the world didn't have enough troubles, it appears that not only some Iraq Sunnis are angry at the execution of their former leader, but Shias (aka Shiites) — a majority in Iraq but also largely oppressed under the reign of Sunni Saddam Hussein — are also dismayed.
Iraq's Shiites are at a crossroads in their rise from oppression to power and in their relationship with the United States. In a nation riven by violence and competing visions, they feel as if they have been handed the keys to their house but never allowed to settle down. Bitter personality rifts have undermined their ability to govern. And they have yet to bridge the growing divide separating them from the Sunnis and further deepened by Hussein's execution on Saturday.The former dictator Saddam was executed (see here) several days ago. It has been revealed recently that his execution was not, shall we say, totally appropriate. Thus not only was the trial botched, but the punishment — and method of said punishment (the death penalty) — was also poorly executed. The government has said that it is launching an investigation into what went wrong with the execution of Saddam Hussein. They could start with the fact that — horrible man that Saddam was — capital punishment is not the greatest way to punish a former leader in a country so full of enough sectarian strife already. That and the death penalty is just plain wrong. Remember: vengeance breeds vengeance, especially in the Middle East and especially in modern Iraq.
As President Bush seeks a new strategy for Iraq, many Shiites express deep mistrust of the United States and its intentions. In U.S. efforts to engage Iraq's disaffected Sunnis, they perceive betrayal. And in U.S. pressure to dismantle Shiite militias, they see an attempt to weaken their bulwark against Sunni insurgents.
(UPDATE: See PART 2.)
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1 comment:
I appreciate (& agree w/ many of) your points of view on the Saddam execution. Because I was traveling when this happened I didn't know details until yesterday. Appalling that cell phones captured the execution.
It's such a contrast to other news- related events I have seen on this trip -- landing at Palm Springs airport & seeing Air Force One on the tarmac, waiting to take President Ford & his family back to D.C. I did watch the televised rotunda service with the U.S. House & Senate -- where we stood briefly during our tour last spring. Ford was a good President, and I'm sorry he's gone. But I must say, the ceremonies & commentary resulting from his death are good & timely reminders to Americans and other parts of the world that there is a lot of goodness in this country, that we all have responsibilities to uphold to maintain that goodness, and that some elected public officials can serve as prime examples of good leadership and fair representation.
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