Death of a tyrant
Friday, December 29th, 2006 @ 11:37 pm | Iraq
According to news reports, Saddam Hussein was executed at 6:00 AM this morning. State-run Iraqiyya TV is reporting the execution with the byline, “Saddam’s execution marks the end of a dark period of Iraq’s history.” With that sentiment, I agree. Saddam was a brutal tyrant who will surely not be missed (especially by the Shi’a and the Kurds). Unfortunately, the darker period that has followed it–that of the American occupation–has no end yet in sight.
Reflecting on the war, Saddam’s fall, and the current situation, I’m reminded of the maxim that pervades much of classical Sunni political thought: “sixty years of tyranny are better than one night of civil strife.”