>I disagree that Iraq was no better or worse than other similar dictatorships. In many human rights issues, that is true, torture and fear too. Howevever, Iraq used chemical weapons on Iran and its own people. No other country has done that as far as I know.
Now serious response;
Saddam WAS dictator and all that, but I think major reason
why he got to be #1 on that HangList is the fact that he simply resisted
'cooperating' with his former allies, while in the same time was not afraid / became threat to Israel. Combine it with waste Oil reserves and you got all motives, for cold bladded business case.
Even if it was NOT flat out lie, bringing democracy to country like this was/is upfront lost case.
Iraq is not only place in Middle east where only way to keep law/order/peace is to rule not exactly like Saddam did, but extremely strict and totalitarian way.
Take Syria or Jordan for instance. Both leaders are well western educated
and nice people at the end, but yet country is still ruled by IronFist.
Why do you think they have so meny sultans, emirs, kings and so for
still in power in this part of the world? If people there were aiming for, or were ready & ripe for real democracy, then they would all gradually turn into western like kingdoms with real democracy, freedoms etc.
Countries like that turn into BLOODY MESS! as soon as strict central rule
is removed or disabled any other way. Only way to settle it back again is
another strict rule exactly like that. But it has to be homegrown, or else
is rejected by all people outright.
That is exactly what heppened, and is going to happen in Iraq;
Bloody civil war will yield number of strongman regional leaders holding firm influence/people support on their territories. Eventually US will get on the negotiating table with one or few of them and broker future oil/power sharing deal. That will of course include spending another 50-60b (happy pockets huh?) on 'rebuilding', 'democracy' etc, and peace will come. So US leaving will create one or more 'democratic' countries whose strongman leaders will overtake keeping of order and stability there, while personally sucking on wealth by sharing profits from country oil reserves with their US democracy 'partners'
Very sad of course, but I don't see it any other way.
I am actually afraid of any other way, or order of events that might enroll including Iran,Syria,Israel ... It is all way to scarry.
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>>>My point was that Iraq is a medieval society. They were before we went in and will be after we leave.
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>>Actually, they were a secular dictatorship, no better or worse than a dozen others in South America and elsewhere, that a certain north-American country propped up over decades.
