Although the US-attittude towards the international court is problematic (right or wrong; this is the European view), main reasons for Husseins punishment lies within borders of Iraq, that is, due to their domestic affairs.

And what comes to the figures 148 versus 100000, you ought to count not only civil victims but also all victims of wars to get the figures comparabable; and that makes about 1 000 000 persons killed in Husseins manouvres instead of 148.

But I admit: my figures are only a bit better and more consistent than yours. (Perhaps we should devide the figures by the number of years and further: we should wonder which of these parties were responsible of the victims in their bilateral fights!)

Best Reagrds, Heikki V.

A man condemned to be hanged was sentenced to die within 30 days. The prisoner was told by the judge that he would be hanged at noon on one of the next 30 days and on a day that he would not be expecting it. The judge promised that this execution wou.....

Everybody here and there is telling of Hussein's cruelty, not so often of his political stupidity; some missiles onto Israel, war against Iran, the Kuwait affair etc.

The political cul-de-sac is at least as tough as it was in Balkan under the regime of Michailovich. Then the knot was opened by force - while the US troops will soon leave the country, yours guess about Iraq's future is as good as mine.

So under this kind of situation, the current situation is perhaps best available.

UPDATE: Saddam Executed. The Iraqi Government's need for closure was also the second most important sign of Iraqi Government control. Any rough journey is greater than a destination which invalidates Freedom!...

We are finally starting to see some people report what we have been saying all along at Webloggin. Saddam Hussein, The Butcher of Baghdad, is responsible for the deaths of millions - not just the old crimes in the Anbar province that the left likes to ...