"Saddam: The death of a dictator." A fascinating article by Juan Cole.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2006/12/30/saddam/

"Through the bumbling of the U.S.-backed regime, justice becomes revenge, and a despot becomes a martyr....

"The execution provoked intense questions about whether his trial was fair and about what the fallout will be. One thing is certain: The trial and execution of Saddam were about revenge, not justice. Instead of promoting national reconciliation, this act of revenge helped Saddam portray himself one last time as a symbol of Sunni Arab resistance, and became one more incitement to sectarian warfare...

"The political ineptitude of the tribunal, from start to finish, was astonishing. The United States and its Iraqi allies basically gave Saddam a platform on which to make himself a martyr to Iraqi unity and independence -- even if by unity and independence Saddam was really appealing to Sunnis' nostalgia for their days of hegemony..."

[whyverne]

1. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood,

but against principalities, against powers, against the rules of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph. 6:12)