Judging Saddam Hussein

摘要

As with every aspect of the war in Iraq, the world's reaction to the death penalty handed down last weekend on Saddam Hussein has been utterly polarised. One view holds that this was "victors' justice" imposed by an illegitimate tribunal after a show trial. Another holds that it was an uplifting example of a mass murderer being held to account. George Bush called it a landmark in Iraq's transition to democracy. Sadly for those who prefer blacks and whites, the truth in this case hovers somewhere between the two extremes. Although the trial had serious defects, it was not a show trial-at least not in the sense its critics say it was. But nor is it likely to help Iraq bind its wounds (see page 68).