December 15, 2003

Ozymandias

Posted by John Quiggin

From almost any viewpoint, including that of opponents of the war such as myself, the capture of Saddam Hussein, represents good news, made better by the ignominy of his surrender. When the Iraq war and its justifications , spurious and otherwise, are forgotten, the image of the great dictator being dug out of the hole in which he had hidden will remain, along with the inglorious ends of Mussolini, Hitler, Ceausescu, and others, as a warning to those who might plan to follow the same path.

Posted on December 15, 2003 03:42 AM UTC
Comments

I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m sorry to say this, but you might as well declare that “the image of the crime boss riddled with bullets will remain, along with the inglorious ends of Dutch Schultz, Albert Anastasia and others, as a warning to those who might plan to follow the same path.” Don’t count on any shortage of applicants for either job in the near future.

Posted by Jeffrey Kramer · December 15, 2003 04:35 AM

John, must say, your type looks big in this get-up.

Posted by cs · December 15, 2003 05:33 AM

And don’t forget Pinochet. Oh wait…

Posted by JP · December 15, 2003 06:19 AM

Salvador Allende was sobering example. Of something.

Posted by alan · December 15, 2003 07:35 AM

Indeed. Sharing a filthy hole with a rat, tightly clutching the currency of the regime he fought. Looking like a mangy dog.

That is the image that should burn bright in history.

Posted by Hal · December 15, 2003 07:46 AM

the image of the great dictator being dug out of the hole in which he had hidden will remain, along with the inglorious ends of Mussolini, Hitler, Ceausescu, and others, as a warning to those who might plan to follow the same path.

I would like to think so, but I doubt that this will be case. Many of these dictators are essentially opportunists; what will deter them is not the consequences of what will happen should they be defeated but the actual likelihood of being brought to account. I don’t think the major reason why SH was toppled was because he was a tyrant; there are many others currently in power, some of whom are allied to the US, and are busy oppressing their populace; for whom I am afraid, liberty will not be arriving on the back of an Abrams tank anytime soon.

I like the Ozymandias reference but I wonder whether it is entirely appropriate. Doesn’t it indicate more the simple transitory nature of all power from a historical point of view, rather than suggest that those who wield it unwisely will ultimately fail. It seems to me a rather more amoral piece, in that all rulers good or bad will in the end meet the same fate by the sands of time. Kind of depressing really.

Posted by Conrad Barwa · December 15, 2003 07:48 AM

“From almost any viewpoint, including that of opponents of the war such as myself, the capture of Saddam Hussein, represents good news, made better by the ignominy of his surrender. “

Thank you for your optimism, but there’s another perspective on how this will be received by a substantial minority (?) on the left:

“Let’s Hope Something Goes Wrong - and Soon!”

Posted by The Tapir · December 15, 2003 01:27 PM

The post linked to by the tapir is an egregious piece of straw man bashing. It’s a ‘perspective’ in the sense that a work of fiction is a ‘report’.

Can you find any influential or popular voices on the left who are saying “the capture of Saddam is bad news”? No you can’t. What you can find is someone on the right who are using this as an opportunity to bash his own caricature of the left.

I propose the verb “Sullivate” to describe someone who condemns their political opponents in advance for the statements that they are going to make. Don’t wait to see what ‘the left’ actually says, make something up and start bashing them for it right now!

Posted by TomD · December 15, 2003 02:55 PM
Followups

→ Sensible Anti-War Reactions to Saddam's Capture.
Excerpt: Because the pro-war blogosphere can't seem to get beyond BBC call-in opiners, extremist bulletin boards, and the isolated academic left...Read more at The Agitator

This discussion has been closed. Thanks to everyone who contributed.