Is Post-Saddam Iraq Better or Worse?
For Better Or For Worse
The regime of Saddam Hussein was a violent and brutal one in which he regularly victimized his people for any number of illegitimate reasons.
It did not take much provocation for Hussein to savagely lash out at Iraqi citizens for imagined transgressions on their part.
Saddam was a paranoid leader, as most dictators are, trusting no one including his own para-military palace guards.
He routinely rounded up citizens in paranoid-fueled "security sweeps" and imprisoned, tortured and executed them for the flimsiest of reasons.
Iraqis were terrified of being arrested and subjected to some of the most inhumane treatment that could be inflicted upon an individual at the hands of their "leader".
There is no doubt whatsoever that Saddam Hussein's rulership was a reign of terror but the question that must be asked now is "Is Iraq better off now than it was then?"
As brutal and sadistic as Hussein was the "saving grace", for lack of a better term, was that the violence was emanating from a single source. In the present situation the violence is coming from everywhere and anyone.
Before Iraqis knew where they could expect the attack to come from but now they have no idea.
As much as it is painful to admit Saddam Hussein was a stabilizing force of sorts in the Middle East. He was feared by surrounding nations who treaded carefully in his presence.
Although his military was no match for America's fighting forces it was more than adequate to deal with any neighboring country's armed services.
The removal of Saddam Hussein has destabilized the entire Middle East region and greatly increased the danger posed to America's ally Israel.
Iraq itself has turned into a training ground for terrorists who can test their newest tactics in real life war games against the Iraqi population.
During his time in power Saddam killed hundreds of his fellow countrymen in ruthless raids of violence. Now his countrymen have taken over where he left off.
On a positive note Iraq now has democracy and free elections which is something that it didn't have in previous times.
Some things have improved while others have remained the same or gotten worse.
Whether Iraq is better now than it was when Saddam Hussein was in power is a matter of opinion. One thing is for certain though, it is still unsafe for many people who live there.
