"Discussing this with him at Christmas, his comment was that westerners
do not really understand the mentality of the Arabs and their religious
context. His statement was that they do not think like us at all."

Extremely good point and so often forgotten by us arrogant
Westerners, who think that we can just breeze in anywhere and
they will then think like us. The US neocons have learnt the
hard way, that its simply not the case, despite all their
weapons and bombs. It seems they learnt nothing from Vietnam.

BD, has it every occured to you, that you are as fanatical about
religion, as say the Taliban? Had you been born in Afgahnistan,
chances would be 95% that you would today be a devout muslim :)

Thers is no God but Jesus and Boazy is his messenger :)

It's amazing to see people discussing the rights and wrongs of Saddam Hussein's execution.

Are you not all forgetting that this creature's regime had live people put through an instrument something like a huge paper shredder?

I don't remember a lot of discussion on that subject.

Rainier, I knew that Boaz would be drawn in, but I deliberately chose "God", wondering whether others of an Islamic persuasion might be interested. And anyway, the phrase is so common it's almost secular. It wasn't meant, by me anyway, to be so much an expression of religious faith as solidarity with human kind.

To answer a post of Robert's, I don't think it's because Hussein was a celebrity that we're interested in his execution. I think it's because of our attitudes to capital punishment, and also anyone being killed cold-bloodedly. If he'd been blown up during the conflict by a US missile or bomb I think my reaction would have been quite different.

Freeranger “CR, …. the only information you want to believe comes straight from the Pentagon.”

Strange, you who declined to answer until embarrassed into doing so opens your response with an scurrilous and inaccurate assessment of my reading habits.

Is your reasoning so weak that you need to play the man before you get around to the topic?

As for “There are many international lawyers who are trying to get a hearing against US officials”

Well if they were either any good or if they had evidence I am sure those “international lawyers” would be doing something.

Until then I am sure you would be first to agree, someone is innocent until proven guilty or do you prefer trial by innuendo?

“which are also breaches of the Geneva Convention.”

Again, bring on the law suites!

“Bush would hardly have taken steps to protect officials in his administration from prosecution in the International Criminal Court.”

The US position on vexatious prosecution is understood. However, Belgium undertakes prosecution of non-nationals in matters of war crimes and other excesses. I see no cases against US officials pending in Belgium.

Try again and try without the childish presumptions.

Arjay “Which will be worse, a ruthless dictator or millions suffering in a protracted civil war?”

I understand what you are suggesting and the answer is simple.

Suffering the 1 year reign of a ruthless dictator, followed by a civil war is infinitely better than 20 years reign of a ruthless dictator, followed by the same a civil war.

Assuming the civil war is inevitable, then the sooner it starts, the sooner it will be over.

mjpb:” considered a matryr by some extremist group or another and his death will be used to promote violence.”

Ultimately, Sadaam Hussein will be less a focal point for insurgency and civil war, as a dead martyr than a live one.

Leigh “Are you not all forgetting that this creature's regime had live people put through an instrument something like a huge paper shredder?”

Exactly leigh. The selective Anti-Coalition memory of malcontents

"To answer a post of Robert's, I don't think it's because Hussein was a celebrity that we're interested in his execution. I think it's because of our attitudes to capital punishment, and also anyone being killed cold-bloodedly."

Actually Graham, I think that subconciously, good old tribalism
plays a role here. Out of sight is out of mind, is very true. Every
day we hear about some tragedy, where 100 plus people were killed in
some part of the world, we don't blink an eyelid. Yet if somebody
who we know a bit better, is closer to us etc, is diagnosed with
cancer or whatever, we are majorly concerned.

Through the medium of reality tv, we all know one hell of a lot
about Saddam Hussein. 100 people a day die in Iraq and we don't
react, but we react to what happened to Saddam. Reason being we
knew one hell of a lot about this guy, we knew nothing of the
100 daily killed.

So I think its simply our minds reacting to what is closer to
us and Saddam was closer in the sense that we know so much about
him, have heard his rants, etc. etc. He's not just another
statistic, as the 100 others are, who die in Iraq daily, they
are just faceless numbers.