At 6am Iraqi local time, the former dictator Saddam Hussein was executed after being sentenced to death by hanging. Hussein has dominated Iraq with an iron fist for nearly 25 years. His regime ended after the U.S.-led coalition attacked Iraq. Bush said that the execution “is an important milestone on Iraq’s course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain and defend itself” (NY Times).
I must fully disagree with this statement. Hussein’s death has nothing to do with the stability the implementation of democracy in Iraq. He has been locked up for years now and has had no influence on the Iraqi people… or anyone else for that matter. The logic as to how his demise will help end the violence in Iraq escapes me. I think he should not be killed… locked up for life yes, but not executed. His death will only spark more violence and more attacks, and it is the civilians who suffer the most. Even if Hussein has killed thousands of people, his death cannot be justified, if it is going to cause hundreds of other deaths.
The execution is more a spectacle than a punishment that is going to be used as a sort of justification for attacking Iraq. Since the U.S. could not establish democracy in the country… this is second best thing it can give it: the death of a former dictator. It seems that they are trying to present the death of Hussein as the end of a violent era for Iraq… which means that the time of peace, stability and democracy can now be begin. But begin it will not. At least not soon. The Bush administration will milk this “step toward democracy” as long as is possible, or at least until the next best thing comes along. But everyone knows it… Iraq is a disaster and there is no easy way to repair it. Saddam Hussein’s death sure isn’t going to.
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