Letter: Iraq's travails
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Sir: Those like Ellen Collins (letter, 16 November) who accuse the Government of hypocrisy in its dealings with Saddam Hussein and point to a contradiction with the sentiments of Remembrance Day are seriously misreading one of the obvious parallels of modern history.
Like Hitler, Saddam Hussein is not just a politician, or even a criminal politician, he is a political criminal whose pursuit of power is marked by appalling brutality and bloodshed. Having achieved national dominance by such means, both men went on to challenge the international community in a similar way. The lack of opposition to, even sympathy for, Hitler's re-annexation of the Rhineland both surprised and emboldened him to go further, opposing international agreement by force, just as Saddam Hussein has done with Iran, the Kurds and the annexation of Kuwait.
The pretext for Hitler's larger ambition of destroying communism and "Jewish capitalism" by appealing to pseudo-racial theory is echoed in Saddam Hussein's confrontation of Western capitalism and Zionism by a sham manipulation of religious ideology. Both men had the will and means to satisfy their criminal megalomania disguised as political idealism.
Unfortunately, the only way to curtail such people is through the resolute exercise of greater power. Hitler could have been stopped long before events reached apocalyptic proportions. The same must not happen with Saddam Hussein.
D KIRKHAM
Manchester
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments