Saddam: The Man
Read an EXCELLENT piece on Saddam Hussein recently entitled Tales of the Tyrant. I highly recommend it.
What it made clear for me is that, while the war in Iraq was wrong on many, many levels, that Saddam was removed from power is a good thing. I knew, in a vauge sense, that he was a grade-a malevolent dictator. But this piece is chock full of examples of how, for about 40 years, he inflicted his country with terror and death. Surely, countless Iraqis are alive now because Saddam is gone.
Was the war "right"? I don't think so. But when we finally leave and Iraq struggles to its own feet, we may find that, on balance, it was a utilitarian good.
What it made clear for me is that, while the war in Iraq was wrong on many, many levels, that Saddam was removed from power is a good thing. I knew, in a vauge sense, that he was a grade-a malevolent dictator. But this piece is chock full of examples of how, for about 40 years, he inflicted his country with terror and death. Surely, countless Iraqis are alive now because Saddam is gone.
Was the war "right"? I don't think so. But when we finally leave and Iraq struggles to its own feet, we may find that, on balance, it was a utilitarian good.