Word: saddamized
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This week, Saddam Hussein is expected to have his day in court. The former Iraqi dictator's trial will draw a sharp line between Iraq's past and its future. But don't expect it to look like Law and Order transplanted to Baghdad. A primer on the court, its task and the possible outcomes...
Premeditated murder, torture and forced expulsion, as well as possible others, linked to the 1982 Dujail Affair, in which men from the town of Dujail tried to kill Saddam as his convoy passed through town. The regime retaliated, torturing and killing 143 townspeople, and destroying the orchards that were the town's source of income...
...Saddam will sit behind bulletproof glass, before a three-judge tribunal. There will be no jury. Instead of the adversarial model of British and U.S. courts, expect to see the inquisitorial system of France and Egypt. A team of investigative judges gathers facts, levies charges and refers them to the three-judge tribunal, which calls and quizzes witnesses. Saddam's lawyers can suggest names, but they can't call their own witnesses...
...moment, say Saddam's lawyers. They're already claiming the tribunal didn't hand over its case file of 2 million documents until Sept. 25. With less than the full 45 days the law allows to mount a defense, Saddam's team will likely move for an immediate dismissal. If that fails, they'll argue for a delay to review the tribunal's file. If that doesn't work, expect them--rightly--to play the "unfair" card...
...fertile ground for democracy. The layers of tribal fabric that make up Iraq are too complex for Western leaders to handle. Once American troops leave?as they eventually must?the only alternative to a tribal war in Iraq would be the installation of a strongman, a surrogate for Saddam Hussein on a short leash. With an autocratic leader in place, in six months there would be social order in Iraq good enough to protect U.S. oil interests, which is what the war is all about. Chris Keating Quebec City, Canada...