Sami Moubayed: Notorious 'Chemical Ali' Meets His End
[Sami Moubayed is editor-in-chief of Forward Magazine in Syria.]
Three big stories came out of the Arab world on Monday, starting with the explosion of an Ethiopian airplane in the skies off Beirut, which led to the death of all 90 passengers, on to three deadly attacks in Baghdad, which killed 37 people, and finally, the execution of Ali Hassan al-Majid, the notorious cousin of Saddam Hussein.
The death of Majid - known as "Chemical Ali" - has caused a stir among ordinary Iraqis, who remember well how feared and brutal he was. Few will shed a tear for his passing, but many are questioning the timing of the execution - which has been on hold since October - and linking it to the March elections.
Executing one of the pillars of Saddam's regime so close to the vote could help polish the image of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who has watched helplessly as terrorists launched deadly attacks in the capital on Monday and in recent months. Eliminating Majid with an iron fist helps paint the prime minister as a serious leader who is determined to strike at troublemakers within Iraq.
Maliki has blamed the attacks last year on former Ba'athists, while military spokesman Qassem Atta told the Los Angeles Times that "terrorist organizations of al-Qaeda and the Ba'athists, who are working together," were responsible for Monday's attacks.
Nailing senior al-Qaeda commanders seems to have proved too difficult for Maliki, and Majid - ailing at the age of 69, and clamped in chains in a Baghdad dungeon since 2003 - appears an easier target.
Maliki can also be assured that Majid's execution will not arouse Sunnis. Saddam's hanging in 2003 and that of Sunni officials such as his vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan and chief judge Awad al-Bandar in 2007 had provoked no angry response. The execution of Majid has also proved less controversial than that of Saddam's half-brother, also hanged in 2007, since Majid had no power base...
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Three big stories came out of the Arab world on Monday, starting with the explosion of an Ethiopian airplane in the skies off Beirut, which led to the death of all 90 passengers, on to three deadly attacks in Baghdad, which killed 37 people, and finally, the execution of Ali Hassan al-Majid, the notorious cousin of Saddam Hussein.
The death of Majid - known as "Chemical Ali" - has caused a stir among ordinary Iraqis, who remember well how feared and brutal he was. Few will shed a tear for his passing, but many are questioning the timing of the execution - which has been on hold since October - and linking it to the March elections.
Executing one of the pillars of Saddam's regime so close to the vote could help polish the image of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki, who has watched helplessly as terrorists launched deadly attacks in the capital on Monday and in recent months. Eliminating Majid with an iron fist helps paint the prime minister as a serious leader who is determined to strike at troublemakers within Iraq.
Maliki has blamed the attacks last year on former Ba'athists, while military spokesman Qassem Atta told the Los Angeles Times that "terrorist organizations of al-Qaeda and the Ba'athists, who are working together," were responsible for Monday's attacks.
Nailing senior al-Qaeda commanders seems to have proved too difficult for Maliki, and Majid - ailing at the age of 69, and clamped in chains in a Baghdad dungeon since 2003 - appears an easier target.
Maliki can also be assured that Majid's execution will not arouse Sunnis. Saddam's hanging in 2003 and that of Sunni officials such as his vice president Taha Yassin Ramadan and chief judge Awad al-Bandar in 2007 had provoked no angry response. The execution of Majid has also proved less controversial than that of Saddam's half-brother, also hanged in 2007, since Majid had no power base...