1. Selective Justice Aand The Execution Of Saddam Hussein
By Gregory Elich
12/31/06 "InformationClearingHouse" -- -- HailedbyPresidentBushasan act of "justice,"formerIraqi
presidentSaddamHusseinwasexecutedonthe morningof December30.Hussein'strial,Bushaverred,
had beena"fair" one.Yetthere waslittle thatcouldbe regardedas fairand legal aboutthe proceedings.
The court itself wasestablishedatthe BushAdministration'sbehest.U.S.dollarsfinancedthe
proceedings,andU.S.officialsprovidedaid,traininganddirectinvolvement.The trial wasfraughtwith
problems.Three of Hussein'slawyerswere murderedandmanydefensewitnesseswere intimidated
intosilence.The trial wasa U.S.-directedeffort,intendedtopaintthe occupationof Iraqinthe best
light.The U.S. andBritishinvasionhad,we are remindedbyWesternofficials,overthrownthisparticular
tyrant.But tyrants,like warcriminals,are inthe eye of the beholder,andactionsthatmightwinpraise
and supportforone man mightbe condemnedforanother.SaddamHusseinfoundhimself onboth
sidesof that equationatone time or another.
How doesithappenthata man can be regardedas a friendandallyone day,and an enemythe next?
How isit that as praise fadesaway,thatsame man comesto deserve capture anddeath?Isitbecause
hisbehaviorhaschanged,or because there hasbeena transformationinperception?
At one time,SaddamHusseinwasbackedandpromotedbythe U.S. Hisbrutal methodswere regarded
as effectivemeasuresinfurtheringU.S.objectives.Butashisactionsbeganto threatenU.S.interests,he
earnedopprobrium.
In hisearlyyears,SaddamHusseinwasonthe CIA payroll.Contactsbeganin1959, whenthe agency
sponsoredhimasa memberof a small teamassignedtoassassinate Iraqi Prime MinisterAbdal-Karim
Qasim.The Prime Ministerhadmade himself atargetbycommittingthe unpardonable sinof takinghis
nationoutof the anti-SovietBaghdadPact.Husseinwassetupinan apartmentacross the streetfrom
Qasim'soffice andtoldto observe hismovements.ButCIA plansreceivedasetbackwhenthe attempted
assassinationonOctober7,1959 was conductedinso ineptamannerthat it failedtoachieve its
objective.Anover-anxiousHusseinfiredtoosoon,killingQasim'sdriverandonlywoundingthe Prime
Minster.Followingthe botchedattemptonthe Prime Minister'slife,CIA andEgyptianintelligence
agentshelpedHusseintoescape toTikrit.Fromthere he crossedintoSyriaand thento Beirut,where
the CIA providedhimwithanapartmentandputhimthrough a shorttrainingcourse.Evenat that young
age,a formerU.S.intelligenceofficial recalls,Hussein"wasknownashavingnoclass.He was a thug - a
cutthroat."But he did have excellentanticommunistcredentials.FromBeiruthe waseventuallysentto
Cairo,where he remainedunderthe watchful eye of hisCIA handlersandmade frequentvisitstothe
U.S. embassytomeetwithagencyofficials.U.S.hostilitytowardsQasimhadnotabated,andhe was
eventuallykilledinaBa'ath Party coup in1963, afterwhichthe CIA gave the Iraqi National Guardlistsof
communiststheywantedtosee imprisonedandexecuted.AccordingtoformerU.S.intelligence officials,
manysuspectedcommunistswerekilledunderthe personal supervisionof Hussein.Asone formerU.S.

2. State Departmentofficial putit,"We were franklygladtobe ridof them.Youask that theygeta fair
trial?You have got to be kidding.Thiswasseriousbusiness."Withhisimage burnishedthroughsuch
accomplishments,Husseinfirstwentontobecome headof Iraqi securityandthenin1979, presidentof
the nation.He remainedalliedwiththe U.S.duringhisfirstdecade inpowerashe orderedthe arrestof
communistsandotherpolitical opponentsbythe thousands.Nearlyall wouldbe torturedorkilled.(1)
In 1980, Saddam HusseinsentIraqi troopstoinvade Iranin an attempttoseize territorybyforce of
arms. The resultingwardraggedonfor eightyears,causingimmensedestructionandcostingthe livesof
1.7 millionpeopleinone of the twentiethcentury'sworstwars.
Relativelyearlyinthatwar,in December1983, PresidentReagansentenvoyDonaldRumsfeldto
Baghdadto meetIraqi PresidentSaddamHusseinandofferAmericanassistance.RumsfeldtoldHussein
that the U.S. wantedfull relationsand"wouldregardanymajorreversal of Iraq'sfortunesasa strategic
defeatforthe West."Justone monthbefore,State Departmentofficial JonathanHowe hadinformed
Secretaryof State George Schultzthat Iraq wasusingchemical weaponsagainstIranianforcesonan
"almostdailybasis."Itwasalsowell known bythenthatthe Husseingovernmentwasengagingin
widespreadrepression.Manythousandsof individualswerebeingimprisoned,tortured,executedor
sentintoexile.
Howard Teicherworkedforthe National SecurityAgencywhenhe accompaniedRumsfeldon that
mission.Teicherrecalls,"PresidentReagandecidedthatthe UnitedStateswoulddowhateverwas
necessaryandlegal topreventIraqfromlosingthe war withIran,"and formalizedapolicyof assisting
Iraq ina National SecurityDecisionDirective[NSDD] whichTeicherhelpeddraft.CIA DirectorWilliam
Casey"personallyspearheadedthe efforttoensure thatIraqhad sufficientmilitaryweapons,
ammunitionandvehiclestoavoidlosingthe Iran-Iraqwar.Pursuanttothe secretNSDD,the United
Statesactivelysupportedthe Iraqi wareffortbysupplyingthe Iraqiswithbillionsof dollarsof credits,by
providingU.S.militaryintelligenceandadvice tothe Iraqis,andby closelymonitoringthirdcountryarms
salestoIraq to make sure thatIraq had the militaryweaponryrequired."
CIA personnel visitedIraqona regularbasistoprovide surveillanceintelligence gatheredbyU.S.-
suppliedSaudi AWACSplanesinsupportof the Iraqi wareffort.Boththe CIA and the Defense
IntelligenceAgencydirectlyassistedanIraqi offensiveinFebruary1988 by electronically"blinding"
Iranianradar for three days."The UnitedStatesalsoprovidedstrategicoperational advice tothe Iraqis
to betteruse theirassetsincombat,"Teichersaid."Forexample,in1986, PresidentReagansentasecret
message"throughEgyptianPresidentHosni Mubarek,actingasan intermediary,"toSaddamHussein
tellinghimthatIraqshouldstepupitsair war and bombingof Iran,"and "similarstrategicoperational
militaryadvice waspassed"toHusseinthroughmeetingswithvariousheadsof state.
Teicher"personallyattendedmeetingsinwhichCIA DirectorCaseyandDeputyDirectorRobertGates
"notedthe needforIraq to have certainweaponssuchasclusterbombsand anti-armorpenetratorsin
orderto stave off Iranianattacks." The CIA suppliedclusterbombstoIraqthroughCardoen,a Chilean
company.

3. More than sixtyofficialsof the U.S.Defense IntelligenceAgencywere involvedinthe programthatnot
onlyprovidedIraqwithintelligence onIranianpositions,butactuallyhelpedIraqtodeveloptactical
battle plansas well asplansforair strikes.Althoughitwaswell knownbythe laterstagesof the war that
Iraqi forceswere routinelyusingchemical weaponsagainstthe Iranians,AmericansupportforIraqi
offensivescontinued."The use of gason the battlefieldbythe Iraqiswasnota matter of deepstrategic
concern,"recalledaformerhigh-rankingDefense IntelligenceAgencyofficial.U.S.leadersweremore
interestedinensuring the defeatof Iran.The Pentagon"wasn'tsohorrifiedbyIraq'suse of gas,"
rememberedaformerofficial involvedinthe program."Itwasjustanotherway of killingpeople -
whetherwithabulletorphosgene,itdidn'tmake anydifference."
SaddamHusseinreceivedunstintingsupportthroughouthiswarwithIran.Hiscrimeswere neveran
issue.Not,thatis,until he miscalculatedandinvadedKuwaitin1990 inanotherattemptedland-grab.
Thiswar, however,wasnotonthe U.S. agenda,and Hussein'srecklessactiontriggeredanattackby the
U.S. and Great Britain,alongwiththe impositionof UN sanctions.(2)
That SaddamHusseinwasonce regardedas a friendof the Westis rarelymentionedthese days.Aslong
as he directedinternal repressionandexternal warsatthose U.S.policymakersloathed,he couldcount
on support.Itwas onlywhenhisactionswentagainstU.S.intereststhathe wassuddenlytransformed
intoa tyrant and criminal.Hismethodshadnotchanged.Onlythe Westernperceptionof him had
shifted,because he nolongerservedthe purposesof global capital.
The U.S. didmuch to create Saddam Husseinandotherslike him.Itisimpossibletoavoidconcluding
that the trial of SaddamHusseinwaslittle more thanacase of selective justice,meanttoprovide post-
justificationforaninvasionthatwasitself agrave violationof international law.SaddamHussein's
crimeswere real enough,butthose actswouldneverhave broughthimtotrial had he continuedto
operate withinthe parameters sketchedforhimbythe West.The trail of SaddamHusseinishailedasa
triumphof justice,despitethe factthatit wasinitiatedandguidedbyanoccupyingpower.Yetone
wonders.Whowill judge the Westernpowersthatstandinjudgment?
14 BerkeleyWomen'sL.J.126 (1999)
SelectiveJustice:ProsecutingRape inthe International Criminal Tribunalsforthe FormerYugoslaviaand
Rwanda;Nahapetian,Kate