Defending the Public's Enemy by Lonnie T. Brown;

Author:Lonnie T. Brown; [Jr., Lonnie T. Brown,]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Published: 2018-12-31T21:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER ELEVEN

SADDAM HUSSEIN

“I don’t believe in demons; I believe in people. And I believe people do bad things. But if you believe in demons, then you can do anything to a demon, can’t you? They’re not human; they have no human rights.”

Ramsey Clark1

IN 2005 Ramsey Clark officially undertook the representation of perhaps his most notorious client. With the exception of Osama bin Laden, it is difficult to imagine a contemporary figure more universally vilified and despised than Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi president, known to much of the world as the Butcher of Baghdad. Many have equated him with the likes of Joseph Stalin or Adolf Hitler—an evil, psychopathic madman bent on the iron-fist domination of his region of the world.2 He was ruthless and power hungry, thin-skinned and brutal. The atrocities against Saddam’s own people carried out under his leadership were horrifying. Indeed, after U.S. forces captured him in December 2003, he was charged with numerous war crimes stemming from an unthinkable cavalcade of murderous acts. By some estimates, Hussein may have been responsible for the demise of as many as 500,000 (likely more), including those massacred in his genocidal campaign against the Kurdish people.3

Why would a man purportedly committed to justice, nonviolence, and world peace choose to associate with a barbaric dictator reputed to be a modern-day Hitler, an executioner of his own people, without even a modicum of due process? Everything about Hussein would seem to be the very antithesis of Ramsey Clark, even if one takes into account his numerous other controversial and somewhat confounding representations. How could Clark be true to his articulated principles, the ideals for which he rigidly stands, and embrace the Dark Lord of the Middle East?

A popular, reflexive response to this question would be to assert that Ramsey Clark is not who he claims to be. Rather, he is what his actions suggest—decidedly anti-American to the point of being willing to side with anyone who is an enemy of his country. The more extreme, the better. From this perspective, it makes perfect sense for Clark to rush to Saddam’s defense; he was actually a dream client, who provided Clark with a high-profile platform from which to criticize his nation’s president and those who supported him. Those subscribing to this assessment of Clark might also castigate him further by questioning his mental stability. They could maintain that he is an old man whose judgment is fading, making him ever-more receptive to radical stands.

But Ramsey Clark is just not that simple. His decision to represent Saddam Hussein did not stem from some rash, ill-conceived desire to lash out at America. Nor did it emanate from psychological instability. He knew exactly what he was doing, and a studied examination of the journey that led him to Saddam’s side vividly demonstrates this. Clark’s decision still may not seem sensible, but the path appears logical.4

In 1980, sixty-six Americans were taken hostage in Iran at the U.S. Embassy following the Ayatollah Khomeini’s overthrow of the shah. Because

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.