Saddam Hussein is dead
Saddam Hussein is dead. He must have known he was going to die when he was allowed to see two of his brothers who are also in detention on Thursday at a US base near Baghdad.
Remembering Saddam Hussein
As a man, I wonder what went through his mind his last twenty four hours. He was in high spirits. He was no failure. He was a proud man, breathing defiance to the very end. At the courthouse, he refused to be cowed. He was an achiever. He is quoted to have said, “ I will be happy to die at the hands of my enemies and be a martyr and not just languish in jail.â€
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The land that the US ‘liberated’ was no perfect land but by and by there was a certain coalition going on albeit lopsided. When they removed Saddam Hussein from the equation, suddenly everything went terribly wrong. More troops have been lost than the toll of the 9-11 incident. Horrible scenes of carnage left by suicide bombers, explosions and other acts of defiance greeted the ‘occupiers’.
The Sunni traditionally have held the reins of power. Two groups of Iraqis, the Kurds and the Shias, make up a majority of the population. After the US-led invasion of 2003, they took control of the government.
All documented evidence point to one fact : he was a ruthless ruler aided by his Sunni-dominated military and intelligence services.
Among his alleged famous misdeeds are the gassing of the Kurdish town of Halabja in eastern Iraq. Reporters who penetrated the Kurdish region of northern Iraq after the defeat of Saddam Hussein in Kuwait in the first Gulf War of 1991 found a wasteland. They however found a palace built by Saddam Hussein for himself. Iraqi helicopter gunships then overcame the failed uprising of the Shia population brutally.
As can be expected, few Kurds or Shias will mourn for him. To the Sunnis however he was a hero.
Saddam Hussein ruled over an ancient land rich in history. His era will also be recorded in annals of history as a time when the nation was never at peace with itself or its neighbours and the world.
There will be reactions to his death. But to delay the inevitable might cause more bloodshed eventually. This marks the end of an era. But I believe peace will not come easily to Iraq even after the demise of this great man. No one can deny he was a great man. He has achieved miracles but at too high a cost.
Unity for the nation remains at best still an illusion.
Bengbeng | Politics and politicians
hi bengbeng, i see there is a verification code to write down before comment. that is new, and it is an interesting one, not just copying the letters or numbers, but requires some knowledge of addition. haha.
u r the first person who has said saddam hussein is a great man. in a way he is. he is like the old style warlord. If he had lived in a different age, he would have been considered great. In an olden age, it was accepted that u get rid of ur enemies in any way u can. Unfortunately for him he lived in this age, when there are more powerful warlords from the western world to contend with. A bit like Darius having to fight against the foreigner,Alexander the great. Whether we call President Bush, George Bush the Great, Or Tony Blair the great only history will tell. haha.
I agree that he was a great man - a bloody tyrant, but nonetheless still great. Greatness is measured by the magnitude of your actions and there is no doubt that this man changed the course of history many times over.
Anthony : I now have Vincent to support me
He explained my understanding of greatness well.
Vincent : Thx for dropping by