the timing, stupid

The decision to execute Saddam on the Eid has swamped pretty much every other aspect of the Arab discussion of Saddam's fate.   Anger over the timing has probably overwhelmed any other sentiment (with "it doesn't change anything, Iraq is still a mess" coming a close second).  Just a very quick roundup:   Tareq al-Homayed, editor of the Saudi al-Sharq al-Awsat, and Abd al-Rahman al-Rashed, former editor of al-Sharq al-Awsat and current director of the Saudi al-Arabiya TV, turn in virtually identical columns today expressing delight over Saddam's execution and shock and outrage over the timing.   Ghassan Cherbel, editor of the more Arab nationalist paper al-Hayat, also focuses on the Eid issue.   Officials from Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Jordan have all expressed surprise and anger over the Eid timing.   This reaction was entirely predictable, which makes it hard to explain as anything other than intentional.  Maliki did it this way for a reason - maybe not a good reason, or a smart one, but a reason nonetheless.

But here's something else to chew on.  Whereas I'd reckon that much of the anger among Iraqi Sunnis and the Arab public is genuine, I would also point out that this outrage over the Eid issue is very convenient for Arab regimes such as Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan (precisely the ones which have spoken up most loudly):  it lets them spout public - pleasing rhetoric over a side-issue without saying much of anything about the their unpopular positions on the deeper issues.   Easy for them to score some cheap points by being on the "right" side of the Eid issue so that nobody pays attention to where they stand on the bigger Iraq or Iran or Palestinian or other issues.  (Next thing you know, they'll find some tasteless cartoons about the execution published in an obscure European newspaper to get upset about.)  And at the same time, by directing popular anger at the Shia-dominated Iraqi government, it also helps them fan the sectarian (anti-Shia) flames which many of these governments seem determined to ignite.   

None of this is to say that the Iraqi government and/or the United States didn't choose the timing and nature of Saddam's execution for their own reasons.  Nor is it to say that the timing of the execution, and the spectacle of what appeared to be Shia militiamen executing Saddam, aren''t having a real impact on Arab public opinion and on Iraq's internal dynamics.  It's just to add that there may be more (or less) to the outcry in certain sectors of the Arab media than meets the eye.
 

Comments

[Badger]

There was an Elaph piece yesterday reflecting a view to the effect this whole affair is a sign of scary Iranian hegemony in Iraq, and indicating Saudi Arabia leads the way in opposing this. The journalist didn't quote anyone by name, but the "Saudi leads the way" part seemed to indicate this whole approach has official blessing.

The next question would be who set it up this way, if not Khalilzad?

[NonArab-Arab]

Zeyad over at Healing Iraq puts forward a reasonable sounding theorty that the Sadrists demanded a rapid execution as part of the price for their return to parliament (see http://healingiraq.blogspot.com/archives/2006_12_01_healingiraq_archive.html ) Zeyad has also kindly translated the dialogue on the cell-phone-video of the execution, which does indeed incude pro-Sadr chants from the crowd (with a scoffing Saddam reply).

[Gregory Gause]

How to square the idea that the US had a hand in the timing with the New York Times account of US officials trying to get Maliki to put the execution off? I think that the US actually has less power in Iraq right now than most people think. Sure, Washington still has lots of say, but I don't think that they have a veto over Iraqi government decisions. Washington has certainly lost the ability to impose big plans on Iraq (which is why the Biden plan and others like it are just not relevant these days). It seems to me that the simplest answer here might be the correct one: Maliki desperately wanted to be the PM who presided over the execution of Saddam, and who knows how long he has in power. So why not do it right away. And it pleases his core constituency.

[PTC]

Marc- I am interested in your (or anyother regional experts) opinion of the footage of the hanging that shows Saddam being tanuted and references to Al Sadir being shouted while he hung? How will this play in Arab Culture?
I do not think it plays well here in the USA, that is for sure. It is sure to get a lot more press in the coming days.
Thanks for your time.

[Abu Dolma]

PTC, I guess it plays out pretty much the same in "arab culture" as it does elsewhere. I think I would go so far as to say taunting a man before hanging is a bit of a universal no-no, regardless of who he/she is. Once you take into account who he is (was) it only gets worse really.

[Abu Sinan]

I wonder if Tariq would be as "delighted" if the Prince who appointed him to his position, member of the murderous al-Saudi family, got the same just dessert?