Saturday, December 30, 2006

Saddam hanged

Saddam Hussein has been hanged in Baghdad. John Simpson is telling me on BBC 2 that it's a mug's game to predict what this means for Iraq and he's right.

Whether Saddam is dead or alive, Iraq is headed for civil war in the disastrous culmination of decades of dictatorship, air strikes, invasion and now, sectarian conflict too. Nothing that Ba'athists, the UK or the US has done has ever brought happiness, security or genuine freedom.

Saddam's death may provide a sickly sweet revenge to those who suffered most under him and who could begrudge them that. But it is one crazy old man's fate, a circus that has little purpose other than scoring one in response to the relentless stream of own goals.

It's made for TV, will almost certainly be available for download and changes absolutely nothing. Now all we have to look forward to is Bush's 'new strategy' for the country. Iraq Lite? Iraq 2.0? Answers in a comment.

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