Iraq had been over-run by the US on the ground that it was having weapons of mass destruction which could destroy the world in less than an hour. The assertions of inspections of the International Atomic Agency made in this connection were, however, to the contrary.
Consequently, members of the United Nations did not sanction any invasion of Iraq. Notwithstanding this the US went ahead with its plan to attack and occupy Iraq. It goes to the credit of Iraq that it did not resist the invasion so as to avoid large scale bloodshed. US was thus enabled to occupy Iraq and find for itself if there really were any weapons of mass destruction. There were none US was obliged to admit that the intelligence which formed the basis of its invasion of Iraq was false.
The right course to follow for the US would, therefore, have been to apologise to the Iraqi people for having acted on wrong intelligence and caused so much destruction in their country. It should have offered to reconstruct what had been destroyed and at the same time arranged withdrawal of its forces from Iraq. Had Iraq resisted the invasion and won against the US would it not have been legitimate for it to claim war reparations from it.
Instead, the US has held a trial of Saddam Husain and got him sentenced to death by hanging like felons. A crime has been concocted against him of, years back, having caused to be killed a number of Kurds en masse. Mind you the Kurds were his subjects who had risen in revolt against him. It is to be remembered in this connection that the state is greater than law.
But then, was the invasion intended to mete out punishment to Saddam Husain for his human rights violations in some distant past? Certainly it was not the raiso de'etre for invasion of Iraq.
It is worthwhile remembering here the old anecdote relating to Alexander. In the course of his conquests he crossed the Indus, subdued the king of Taxila, further east were the territories of Poros who refused to submit without a fight, but lost, was captured and brought before Alexander. Alexander asked him how he wished to be treated. Poros' bold reply was: "As befits me like a king." He was reinstated in his kingdom.
This was over two thousand years ago which were barbarous times, Saddam Husain belongs to the civilised times and so do his captors.
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