Saddam Hussein was a towering tyrant who became a man without a shadow, ungroomed and uncouth, prodded by the anonymous, methodical hand of American military might. In these excerpts from editorial pages around the world in the days after Hussein's capture, commentators remember his reign and speculate on Iraq's future.
-- Compiled by Michael Soller
IRAQ
Justice has caught the bloodsucker, the despot who has humiliated his people and relatives.... The cries of the honest people in Iraq and the entire world were heard calling for freedom for the patient Iraqis, the people of goodness and the people of history and the people of knowledge which has shone over the world.... This is the clearest and most beautiful morning in my country, Mesopotamia. Be joyful, oh my brothers, be joyful, oh my brothers, for this is great news for Iraq.
-- Al-'Ahd Al-Jadid (by Abd Al-Bassit Al-Naqqash)
FRANCE
The man who was found hiding in a village in the region of Tikrit is one of the greatest criminals of the day. He brought unhappiness to the Iraqis and neighboring peoples; he humiliated the Arab world in putting a criminal mafia in charge of a country that could very well have become one of the engines of modernity in the region: because of oil, of course, but also because of its educated population and the rich heritage of the ancient land of Mesopotamia.
- LE MONDE
NEW ZEALAND
This time there was no repeat of the victory declaration delivered aboard an American aircraft carrier. President George W. Bush's short speech from the White House Cabinet room after American troops seized Saddam Hussein was far more circumspect -- and far more appropriate....
Mr. Bush's cautious response to Saddam's capture indicates that the Americans have acquired some measure of wisdom. They recognize it is no panacea for their many problems in Iraq. It is to be hoped they also understand the huge benefits if the curtain is brought down appropriately on this most brutal of tyrants.
- THE NEW ZEALAND-HERALD
SPAIN
In the last three decades, Saddam Hussein has been a cruel tyrant to the people of Iraq and a constant threat to neighboring countries, although the United States appears not to have discovered that until August 1990, when Saddam invaded Kuwait.... With the arrest of Saddam, the world could be better off if some conditions are met. First, if the U.S. and other democratic countries never again lend support to tyrants like this to fulfill their immediate needs.... Another is to give him a fair, transparent trial and appropriate legal guarantees for his defense. The joy over Saddam's capture should not translate into an expedited trial that ends in a summary execution.
