Saddam, the supposed harbinger of doom for mankind, is gone. And he leaves behind an unflattering mass of no-gooders. Topping the list is Bush-part II. It was extremely distressing to see Saddam go to the gallows while Bush was peacably holidaying on his good old Texan ranch. His cowboy living becomes him much more than his role as the head of the American state. ranch .
No, Saddam is no God. But surely, he has killed fewer people than his arch-enemy. In Iraq alone, the US troops have OFFICIALLY killed around 3,000 people - mostly innocent civilians or protestors - since their masterful takeover. The total toll including the civil war and the bombings it unleashed touches a million or two.
Saddam, at least, did not pretend to be fair and just nor did he mask his dictatorial brutality under the guise of ``cause of freedom.''
Besides, Saddam was different from many others of his ilk. Like it or hate it, he had an incredible self-belief. What I appreciate about him is not just that he was India's friend and not an Islamic fanatic as he was painted out to be but also the fact that he never minced words, stood his ground and stood by his beliefs -whatever they be- till the end. Here's a man who withstood the scorching fire of the US and allies but never displayed even a momentary weakening of either his will or his emotions -not after his arrest, not after his torture of a trial and not before his death.
Somehow, when I read his profile, I don't get the impression of a man who wronged all his neighbours and ALL his countrymen but as a man who had some extreme and irrational ideas, was extremely ambitious and brooked no dissent. I find that most who stood in his way or betrayed him got ruthlessly crushed but those who did not betray him were appreciated and treated with respect. He was not the cruel tyrant to everybody.
More than a decade ago, I was reporting on a high-profile meeting on Iraq in a five-star hotel. If I recall right, it was on forging trade partnerships with India. Posters of Saddam were hung all over the huge room-- The Ballroom at the Taj, I think-- and the sophisticated Iraqi men and women I met were full of glowing praise for their leader even though they knew I would quote none of it. They called him by an appellation and not by his name though I forget what.
It's ironic that Saddam is dead while his tormentor who has unleashed a reign of terror in his homeland that's certainly no less horrendous than Saddam's is moving around freely, and babbling about free will.