SamizuDat - The Year 2006 In Summation

The Death of Saddam Hussein. Mr. Hussein's contributions to the modernizing of Iraq should not be forgotten. Woman could vote, drive cars & trucks, have careers in all parts of the economy. All of Iraq had a high standard of living.

Where Mr. Hussein fell was in trusting the United States of America. It was the American government who egged him on into the war with Iran, and supplied him with the weapons to do so. It was the American Government who gave him the okay to reclaim Kuwait as part of his nation. It was the American Government that sold him the poison gas to kill Kurds with.

Then it was the American government that reversed course and attacked his country, that imposed crippling embargoes on food and medicine, causing the deaths of tens of thousands of Iraqis. It was the American government that then invaded Iraq under false pretences, destroying Iraq's industrial infrastructure, killing more tens of thousands and handing the country's governance back to the religious fundamentalists, who are now ruthlessly wiping out all the pregressive reforms of Mr Hussein: universal education, free health care, universal suffrage.

Mr. Hussein's suppression of those that would impede the modernizing of Iraq was par for the course in this region. Turkey's modernization also took a great deal of violent suppression of fundamentalists. This is true of most nations that were thrust suddenly into the 20th century.

Mr. Hussein will be judged by history as much for the good he did as for the bad.
SM

Comments

Anonymous said…
This is true!

Jane
1:06 PM
Anonymous said…
You are crazy! Sadam was a killer and deserved to be hung!
Angry American
1:08 PM
Anonymous said…
Are you nuts! People like you do not deserve to live in such a great country. Maybe we should send you to Iraq.
2:22 PM
Anonymous said…

"Maybe we should send you to Iraq."
Which Iraq? The fascist one that was modernizing impressively? Or the Iraq we reduced that nation to: splintered, ravaged, ridden by fundies; going backward rather than forward?

Post WW2 occupations of Japan and Germany aside, nations that the United States "liberated" and committed "nation building" upon, are in ruins. How about that Libya? That big meanie ruling there was also achieving modernization. No more. Now, "liberated" Libya is splintered by tribalism and war profiteers. Standard of living? - don't ask! Not so much.
9:51 AM
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