by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright Jan. 1, 2007
All Rights Reserved.

ung like a dog, Iraq's former dictator Saddam Hussein met his unceremonious end Dec. 30, no surprise to Iraq's fledgling government, who refused to honor his request to face a firing squad. Iraq's Shiite population finally got revenge for the brutal dictator who once served as a U.S. ally during the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq War. When the hangman's noose was tightened around his neck, Saddam refused a hood, preferring to go down taunting his enemies. Few Iraqis—including Sunnis—will miss the blustery secular leader, whose tyrannical reign began July 16, 1979 and ended April 9, 2003, when U.S. forces toppled his regime. While U.S. and Iraqi authorities boast about the “fairness” of Saddam's trial that began Oct. 19, 2005, the outcome was never in doubt. With Saddam's death, Iraq's Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki hopes to break the back of Iraq's Sunni insurgency.

      When Saddam was plucked from his spider hole Dec. 15, 2003 only nine miles from his hometown of Tikrit, U.S. officials hailed the event as a turning point in the war. Seven months before, President George W. Bush declared “mission accomplished,” flying onto the flight-deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln May 1, 2003. Since then, 2,863 lost their lives, 113 dying in Dec. 2006, the bloodiest month since 137 died in Dec. 2004. U.S. combat deaths now total 3,000. “The dark page has been turned over,” said Iraq's national security advisor Mowaflak al-Rubaie, who witnessed Saddam's execution. “Saddam is gone. Today is an Iraq for all the Iraqis, and all the Iraqis are looking forward . . . The [Hussein] era has gone forever,” said al-Rubaie, fantasizing that Saddam's death would change the grizly civil war claiming 3,000 Iraqi lives a month. Like other milestones, Saddam's death will have no effect.

      As Bush contemplates his next move, including adding more U.S. troops, American public opinion believes Iraq is a lost cause. One reality can't be disputed: U.S. forces can't stop the bloody insurgency, claiming more and more American lives. Supported by Iran, Syria, Russia and a host of other Islamic countries, the U.S. can't reverse escalating violence and anarchy. Toppling Baghdad April 9, 2003, declaring “mission accomplished” May 1, 2003, killing Saddam's sons Uday and Qusay July 22, 2003, killing Iraq's al-Qaida leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi June 8, 2006 and finally executing Saddam won't bring peace to Iraq. Saddam was convicted and sentenced to hang Nov. 5 for the 1982 massacre in Dujail, where 148 Iraqis were killed after a failed assassination attempt. Iraqi authorities rushed to execute Saddam before Eid al-Adhan, the feast concluding the hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

      Like other publicity stunts, Saddam's hanging was designed to convince Sunnis that the old regime wouldn't return. Al-Maliki knows that mounting disgust for the Iraq War inside the U.S. won't support an open-ended commitment for tax dollars and troops. Bush and his PR team seem more preoccupied with face-saving and presidential history than whether more U.S. soldiers get sacrificed in a lost cause. Like the ending days of Vietnam, the White House and Pentagon refuse to admit defeat, despite overwhelming failure. Trying and hanging Saddam offers another wishful event but won't stop foreign governments and insurgents from defeating U.S. occupation. “Fair trials were unimaginable under Saddam's tyrannical rule . . .” said Bush's official statement. “Saddam received a fair trial,” convincing skeptics that the fallen dictator got more than poetic justice.

      U.N. officials begged the U.S. and Iraqi authorities to move Saddam's trial to International Court at The Hague, where other war criminals like Serbia's ex-strongman Slobodan Milocevic received justice. Because Europe bans capital punishment, U.S. and Iraqi officials turned a blind eye. No one other than Iraq's new government or U.S. officials believes Saddam received a fair trial. For those affected by Saddam's tyrannical rule, his execution offers little consolation. While the promise of democracy offers faint hope, the reality of violence and anarchy has torn Iraq into pieces. Only government officials living inside Baghdad's fortified Green Zone can claim improvement. Most Iraqis live with less electricity, running water and basic amenities than before Cruise missiles hit Baghdad March 20, 2003. U.S. officials have replaced Saddam with violence, chaos and civil war.

      Saddam's execution represents another failed PR stunt that won't change the outcome in Iraq. Iraq's U.S.-backed government doesn't enjoy the legitimacy of an Iraqi-based popular movement. Al-Maliki is only seen as a U.S. puppet, fueling disloyalty in his military and security services. Al-Maliki can't use radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's al-Mahdi army as his personal bodyguards and simultaneously go after Shiite death squads and unofficial militias. As long as Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani supports al-Sadr, Iraq's Shiite majority will never accept a U.S.-backed regime. Bush's plan to add more troops fails to heed his top retiring generals John P. Abizaid and George Casey who warn that more U.S. troops will only make matters worse. Saddam's death neither helps nor hinders Iraq's growing violence and chaos, where the U.S. is seen as the problem, not the solution.

About the Author

John M. Curtis writes politically neutral commentary analyzing spin in national and global news. He's editor of OnlineColumnist.com and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

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