Saddam hangs

[Schneed10]

Originally Posted by onlydarksets

Hooskins is right - it will exacerbate the problem. That said, the fundamental differences between the Shia and the Sunni are so deep and so rooted in hate right now, I don't know that anything is going to make it better. However, this does give the Sunni an "excuse" to kill more Shia, but they were probably going to do that anyway.

This is exactly right. These two groups are similar to the Palestinians and Israelis in how deeply rooted their hatred is. They're in civil war. Saddam's execution may fan the flames for a brief period, but in the end, they're simply looking to kill each other because they hate one another.

And whether or not this will increase sectarian violence should not be a reason to not execute Saddam. If anything, Iraq needs a sense of justice and order. You kill thousands in cold blood, you get the death penalty. People need to see justice being served or they're going to totally lose faith in the Iraqi government altogether.