Washington Week: Student Voices (O)

Hussein execution leads to mixed reactions on Texas Tech campus
By Anna Schuman
Daily Toreador (Texas Tech)
01/11/2007

(U-WIRE) LUBBOCK, Texas — Many people across the world watched videos of the death of former Iraqi president Saddam Hussein on television and on the Internet after he was executed on Dec. 29.

In a press release issued by United States President George W. Bush immediately following Hussein's execution, Bush said Hussein's trial was fair despite his unfair treatment of Iraqi people.

"It is a testament to the Iraqi people's resolve to move forward after decades of oppression that, despite his terrible crimes against his own people, Saddam Hussein received a fair trial," he said.

Ed Steinhart, a professor of history at Texas Tech, said he believes the trial was anything but fair.

"It was a mockery," he said. "The verdict was in before the trial began. It was only to accumulate evidence for public opinion."

Steinhart said he believes many factors will be included in the world's collective memory of Hussein.

"There's no doubt he'll be remembered as a fairly typical mid-eastern despot," he said. "Memories will include his rise to power, aided by the U.S. and CIA, and his handshake with Rumsfeld in 1983 when we were allies."

He said he believes the United States' treatment of Hussein will remain a sore spot with Iraqi intellectuals in the future.

Steinhart said the world's long-term view of Hussein ultimately depends upon "who is victorious, who gets to write history."

John Barkdull, associate professor of political science and international relations, said he agrees the execution was carried out poorly.

"The execution was appallingly badly done," he said. "Its only effect is that it inflames Americans. Killing another country's president when you have an occupying army sends such a horrible message, using their puppet government to kill him in front of the world."

Barkdull said he believes Hussein's execution will only be important because it is politically symbolic.

"Though people hate him, it's an outrageous attack on their (Iraq's) sovereignty," he said. "Hussein came off as the only dignified person in the room. He's now a symbol of Arab resistance to Americans. And if you can botch something so bad that Saddam looks like a hero, that's pretty bad. It's just a symbol of our failure of policy in Iraq."

Michael Hull, a graduate student and political science teaching assistant from Gatesville, Texas, said he agrees Hussein's death is symbolic but said he believes it does not have much significance otherwise.

"It's symbolic in the sense that he was their leader," Hull said. "It won't make Iraq easier. I don't know if anyone else in the world cares he was executed. It'll be forgotten soon, something else will come up."

Hull said he does not believe Hussein's trial was unfair.

"It was as fair as it could be considering the whole nation's judicial system is what, a year old?" he said. "Of course there are problems, but it's Iraq's business. It's not like our justice system's perfect."

Hull said he believes the trial did not make Hussein look like a hero.

"He might be a hero to the Sunnis but not to the greater middle east," he said.

Lance Hunter, a graduate student and political science teaching assistant from Chickamauga, Ga., said he believes the trial went fairly well.

"It was somewhat transparent," he said, "and Saddam was given the rights he needed to be given with a military tribunal."

Regarding the videos of the execution, Hunter said he believes the video accounts look bad for all parties involved.

"It was horrible," he said. "It looked bad for both the Iraqi and U.S. governments. It looked like a very inhumane way to carry out an execution. They had the right to do it however they wanted but I think the taunting and pictures was very ... unprofessional, I guess. It was very inappropriate. He was a terrible person and tyrant, but he still should have been given dignity in death."

Hunter said he believes it is impossible for the United States to completely separate itself from Hussein's execution.

"The U.S. government decided to go into the country and oppose its leader, and the U.S. clearly had influence over aspects of the trial," he said. "One example is the death sentence was given one or two days before the mid-term elections. Therefore, the U.S. had a part — however small — in the execution."

Hunter said he is glad Hussein was executed.

"Saddam was a dictator and a tyrant. He caused many deaths," Hunter said. "I'm glad he was executed but not happy with the manner in which it was carried out."

Barkdull said he believes Hussein's execution will not make much difference in the end.

"Insurgencies will continue because the fundamental issues are still the same," he said. "The U.S. is on their land. The issues matter most; Iraqis believe it's about oil and Israel. If the death did anything, it strengthened these issues."

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