Baghdad under heavy security ahead of expected Saddam verdict
(Note: my pal Joshua Holland over at Alternet and Gadflyer has been all over this)
BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi authorities have ordered a 12-hour curfew in Baghdad and three surrounding provinces coinciding with Sunday's expected announcement of a verdict in the trial of former leader Saddam Hussein, Iraqi officials said Saturday. The curfew, to cover both vehicles and pedestrians, will run from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Sunday, said a close aide to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and an Interior Ministry general. Both spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.
The curfew will cover Baghdad, Baghdad province, Salahuddin province which includes Saddam's hometown of Tikrit, and the neighboring provinces of Diyala and Anbar that are the hotbed of the Sunni insurgency battling U.S. troops and the Iraqi government. Baghdad was placed under a heavy security clampdown on Saturday, with additional road blocks, stepped up patrols and all leave canceled for Iraqi troops.
Fears of violence greeting the verdict underscore the trial's failure to bring reconciliation to a country that has fractured ever deeper along sectarian lines. Many of Saddam's fellow Sunni Arabs, along with some Shiites and Kurds, are predicting a firestorm if the ex-president is sentenced to death. On the other hand, most of the majority Shiites, who were persecuted under Saddam but now dominate the government, are likely to be enraged if he escapes the gallows.
Setting the tone, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite, said late last month that he expects "this criminal tyrant will be executed." That, he said, would help break the will of Saddam followers in the largely Sunni Arab-led insurgency.
First of all, I found this very interesting from Maliki--the verdict "would help break the will of Saddam followers in the largely Sunni Arab-led insurgency." It isn't centuries of hostility, hopelesness, a shattered infrastructure, no legitimate authority,or rule by militias--it is Saddam. You can hear W now, "hard work--making progress--evil tyrant." We know that George also lists "executions" as his hobby on his MySpace page (where he has 0 friends!)
But beyond that, it isn't a surprise. We knew dirty tricks were coming to distract ADD America away from this republic-threatening GOP debacle. On a broader scale, though, we hould have seen it coming. America has embraced authoritarianism, gulags, torture, aggressive militarism, the suppression of dissent and violently hostile jingoism.
Why not show trials?
of you have sat, and perhaps thought, with us!
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