Literally. I wondered this aloud at work today, and got some enthusiastic responses. Hence Great Debates.
What is the most likely disposition for Saddam’s body, given that he won’t survive this time. I said that that’ll most likely be up to his family and supporters, as it should be, but I didn’t garner much support. :eek:
He’s going to be seen as a martyr no matter what we do. So who care’s? Nazi, and other, war criminals were afforded decent treatment of their remains, why not this one?
Peace,
mangeorge
Well, I did notice a number of very tall lamp posts on the live feeds from downtown Baghdad.
It depends on who has of the body immediately after his demise. If his people have it, expect them to cremate it and hide all proof of his death. If angry, recently-oppressed citizens get ahold of him, expect a gruesome public display like with Ceausescu and Mussolini.
And, if I somehow get his body, it’s going on eBay.
Politically, for all parties concerned - it’s probably best if he just gets pummelled into mash somewhere 80 feet underground - never to be seen again.
That way, he doesn’t get a “milestone” moment which allows him to be held up as a martyr - but also, after time, it’ll become VERY apparent by his abscence on Iraqi State TV that he’s no longer around. And that realisation will eventually lead the Iraqi population to realise that they’re at the end of the Saddam tunnel as it were.
That’s the best outcome it seems to me.
Do we know he is dead? If not, he could still leave the country. If he is dead and his body is found, I expect him to become a “martyr” and a “great leader” to many Muslims, even though he doesn’t practice Islaam according to the Shariah.
There may be many people in America - non-Arabs - who will think, in time, that he was a great leader/great man.
The above is merely MHO.
ThoughtPolice - in the context of countries which possess true “freedom of the press”, I’m pretty sure that history will come to judge Saddam Hussein as little more than a thug.
A thug who rose to ultimate power in his country through a policy of killing all of his opposition - a thug who ultimately displayed all of the military acumen of Hitler at his inept worse.
And history will ALSO come to view the 25 years of Saddam’s regime as mostly being a dark era in Iraq’s history - similar to the Caucescu era in Romania I predict.
That’s why it’s best his body is never found… let his legacy fade to black… with little fanfare…
As for your prediction that Saddam could possibly become some sort of “superstar martyr” in the Arabic World? Sure, that’s eminently possible - totally possible actually. But (a) only if they find his body and (b) (and more importantly) it’s because the Arabic World is absolutely rife with controlled state media outlets, and “freedom of the press” is utterly a foreign concept in such lands. Under those circumstances, it becomes infinitely easier to manipulate public opinion.
For the record: the Nazis who were hanged after Nuremberg (as well as Himmler and Goering) were burned and the ashes dumped into the river for the exact purpose of ensuring that there would be no graves which might later become “shrines.” I suspect something similar in the case of Saddam.
Boo Boo Foo,
I agree with you.
I do not believe that Saddam wants to die, for it has been widely reported that he has a lot of cash in Swiss bank accounts. If he survives and can get out of Iraq, I believe he will do so. This may be a mute point, for he may already be dead or seriously injured.
Last night, one of the networks interviewed some Arabs in America. They were irate that we were attacking Iraq. Many “celebs” and other people in America share their feelings.
I also saw an article a few days ago where the National Organization of Women said that the Iraqi women’s life was better than in other Muslim countries, so we had no business attacking Iraq.
Although Saddam has done unspeakable things to his own people, people like the above still may say he was a great leader. That’s what I was talking about.
Still, I agree with you. I believe, if the smoke ever clears, Saddam will be viewed as beyond a thug where people have access to a free press.
TO DIVERGE: I expect the “celebs” to villify our Administration duing the Oscars. I think that is unfortunate, but they have the right to free speech in this country, and I’m glad they do. I never watch the Oscars (it just doesn’t interest me), so I guess I’ll see news clips, after the awards, as to who ripped “Cowboy Bush” and his Administration.
Thanks Thought Police - thank you very much.
You know, I wrote this elsewhere last night, but it seems to me that there are 3 things which kinda make the Western World the best place to live…
(1) A commitment to stable, fair, democratic representation.
(2) A commitment to freedom of the press.
(3) A commitment to stamping out corruption and black market.
I reckon if you can aim to succeed in those 3 areas, everything tends to sort itself out I find.
Also, in the various shitfights in the world, invariably you can apply the litmus test of whether those 3 areas are fully at play and you’ll find at least one of 'em aren’t.
Certainly, Points (1) and (2) have been in abysmal shortage in Iraq in the last 25 years - and regardless of what various protesters (celebreties or not) might have to say, the facts speak for themselves. I daresay Point (3) was flagrantly abused too, in terms of nepotism within the Hussein cronyism inner circle.