Back in my heady days as poli sci major, one of the first precepts I
learned about the world is that in the absence of the rule of law, you
have anarchy. Of course, the word anarchy brings to mind images reminiscent of Escape from New York
and the one-eyed, yet fierce Snake Pliskin. A land devoid of control
until someone smells the power vacuum and takes over. As you get older,
you learn that anarchy takes many forms: you needn't resort to a
walled-in New York to prove your point. Neither is the rule of law
always just. You could use Robert Mugabe's government as an
example---just because he heads the legally recognized government of
Zimbabwe does not mean he is in control and is resorting to a just rule
of law. Currently, there is just as much anarchy in Zimababwe as if
there were no government at all. Anarchy, as I said, takes many forms.
As does the rule of law. But when you have a just rule of law,
isn't that sweet? The media seems to be glossing over the enormity of
what happened on Monday, and what happened today. An occupying power
handed over the keys to their own kingdom to a new government, that
might or might not be booted from power in the upcoming elections, and
they brought the former leader of their country before the bar for an
arraignment. Now, think about that for a minute; think about how Hitler
blew his own brains out rather than face defeat at the hands of the
Allied powers; think about how Mussolini found himself at the end of a
partisan rope. Saddam Hussein is going to have a trial
during which he will be allowed to defend himself. He very well might
still end up at the end of a rope when all is said and done, but he
will have the opportunity that Mussolini didn't receive, that Hitler
didn't want to happen---the right to justify his actions, to explain
himself. That says something rather large in the scheme of things about
our inclinations as human beings and how far they have progressed, no
matter what the media might say or whichever disgruntled minority
Iraqis they might talk to.
Say what you will about preemptive invasions, ignoring the collective
will of the UN and so on and so forth. None of these things are
admirable, I hate to say, even though they were expedient. Yet the
simple fact that the United States CPA handed over the keys to the
Iraqi government, and that their first act is to bring to justice the
man who made so many suffer for so long, says a great deal about how
powerful the rule of law is. And how very far from anarchy Iraq
actually is.