By Tecola W. Hagos

�Foke�ero Meshesh,� old Ethiopian proverb.

On the evening of the 14th of December 2003, Saddam Hussein was captured by American soldiers at a farm in a small village, Dawr, near his birthplace, Tikrit. He was found hiding in a rat-hole, and surrendered without even firing a single shot though he was armed. Saddam Hussein who wielded the sword of the famous Haroun al-Rashid, the 9th Century Caliph of Baghdad, on television; Saddam Hussein who claimed to be the inheritor of the mantel of Saladin (a Kurd), the 12th Century chivalrous Moslem leader who defeated the Crusaders; Saddam Hussein who on countless occasions was seen shooting guns and assault rifles in to the air as an illustration of his courage and defiance, after all, turned out to be a coward.

At the end, Saddam Hussein was not even a fraction of a man compared to his own sixteen-year-old Grandson who died fighting some months back. What a tragedy that such a coward could hold a nation and a people hostage to power for over twenty years and commit unimaginable cruelty, abuse, and oppression without restraint on an ancient and great people.

This recent ignominious end of Saddam in a way would add to the arrogance and conceit of Western nations, and it might also legitimized to a great degree whatever is claimed to be superior as Western culture, economic system, and political process by fanatics and racist ideologues. On a human emotional level, Saddam Hussein shamed us all by unnecessarily exposing the Iraqi people to a humiliating defeat and occupation. However, it seems no one gloats over on the defeat, suffering, and humiliation of Iraqis even if their leaders were at fault in the conflict with the West. I have yet to meet a person in the United States who expresses his happiness in the suffering of Iraqi citizens. In a way, the fact that there was no public outcry against the Congress of the United States or the President in their instituting of a Bill that authorized over eighty seven billion tax dollars for the reconstruction of Iraq attests to the fact that most Americans do have some scruples and a sense of fairness.

As far as Ethiopians are concerned, Saddam Hussein, along with leaders of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria and other tiny Gulf States, has been a fiendish enemy and a terrorist financing the secessionist movements of ELF, EPLF and others against the legitimate government of Ethiopia. Ethiopians suffered and endured terrorist activities long before it became known in the West. The leaders of those Arab countries are all brutal dictators who have suppressed and abused their respective citizens under some of the worst government structures in the world. It is a historic fact that Ethiopia has been targeted for destruction by Arabs because of the following two main reasons: 1) the Ethiopian Christian Orthodox Church had preserved the culture and independence of the great people of Ethiopia thousands of years, and thus has been ever since the Prophet Mohammed a challenge to the expansionist ambition of Caliphs and Sultans and now kings to convert Ethiopia into a Moslem State, and 2) Ethiopia controls all the great headwaters and the great Ethiopian rivers flowing into the Nile especially the Tikur Abaie (Blue Nile) that provides over 85% of the water that finally reach the Mediterranean Sea, giving life to the desert/dry land of the Sudan and Egypt, and Lake Tana the source of the Tikur Abaie, the cistern of hundreds of millions of gallons of fresh water.

Although almost every Arab State in the Middle East, at some level and at some point in history, has tried to harm Ethiopia, the Government of Saddam Hussein was considered by a number of Ethiopians as the worst and the most vicious. Saddam not only provided money but also trained ELF, EPLF and other organizations, and he also encouraged other Arab nations to help secessionist movements against Ethiopian governments. Ethiopians, if it were not for their modesty and culture of restraint, would be dancing in streets and public squares in celebration of the downfall of one of history�s most brutal dictator and enemy of the State of Ethiopia and Ethiopians.

What do we learn from this recent event of the capture of Saddam Hussein? There are several eye-popping lessons for us if we allow ourselves the luxury of reflection and openness in our evaluation of recent events. There are several important lessons for us if we choose to look deeper into the reasons for the conflict and the occupation of Iraq. The following are some of those lessons:

1. Foremost, we learn that dictators are cowards. Within the last half century alone, we can count several brutal dictators who have perished in ignominy and some in utterly humiliating circumstances. Starting with Mussolini (the Fascist dictator who was executed and hung by his feet), Hitler (the racist Nazi butcher who was killed in underground bunker), all the way down to our contemporaries such as Mengistu (the brutal dictator who run away fearful of the wrath of the people of Ethiopia he brutalized, with millions of dollars in bags), Taylor (the �liberator� of Liberia who turned out to be a violent tyrant), dictators did not seem to fare that well�sooner than later their misdeeds catch up with them.

2. We observe that there seems to be a pattern in almost every case that dictators are bred in dysfunctional families where as children such people suffered extreme abuse in the hands of people who are either parents or responsible for bringing them up in the world.

3. We learn that a leader can greatly hurt his own people and others, and should be challenged not after twenty years, as was the case with Saddam Hussein, but right away when his government reverts to brutality and violence as a means of his governing.

4. We learn that brutalized and abused people in general do not bring about change by themselves, and in the rare situation they do, they do not bring about helpful political, social, or economic changes, but become violent and oppressive governments.

5. We learn that even naive people can be effective leaders but only in Western nations, and can lead potent governments as long as their choices of advisors, officials, and support groups are intelligent, manipulative, and rich.

6. We learn that the State of Israel and Jews everywhere have tremendous political, economic, and military power that is effective all over the world, and that they did not come about to such position of power and wealth serendipitously or by chance. The secret of their success is no secret at all. It is their unity of purpose, their democratic institutions, and respect for each other as Jews that propelled them to such height of power and acquisition of great Wealth despite the fact that Israel has no mineral or other natural resource worth much. It seems that it is better for an individual or a government to be on good terms and friendly to the state of Israel beyond what mere diplomatic or communal etiquette requires if an individual or a nation wants to make any headway.

7. We learn that there is a direct connection with the conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq and the Palestinian and Israeli conflict. If one is not a Jew (by religion or family decent) that such a person will be labeled �anti-Semitic� if he or she claims such holistic connections and if he or she criticizes too closely even the brutal and abusive policies of Sharon and his Government. No one will escape the wrath of fanatics if a person is critical of a policy that might remotely or indirectly negatively affect Israel even if a Jew, such as the case of George Soros.

8. We learn that the Arab people were not served well by their respective governments in the Middle East for the last fifty years. Arabs have been abused, brutalized, impoverished, and dehumanized by undemocratic leaders and oppressive system of governments. Religion and culture played major roles in that process of enabling few individuals and families to acquire monumentally corrupting and abusive power. The great wealth of the Arab people was controlled by a handful of families to the detriment of the Arab people. This great fabulous wealth was squandered in frivolous projects and in the buying of military hardware and weapon of no real value as was proven repeatedly by the overwhelming defeats Arabs suffered in the hands of a couple of determined foes.

9. We learn that religion or blind obedience to religious leaders is not a substitute for intelligence, knowledge, and learning. Culture and religious practices have been negatively affecting the political, economic, and technological development of nations in the Middle East.

10. We learn that the People of the United States are not much different from other peoples elsewhere in their fear of their respective governments. The great majority of the people of the United States are fanatical or patriotic in supporting their President once such a President commits American troops abroad for any reason. If you criticize George Bush�s policy on Iraq or terrorism, especially the manner he had detained both United States Citizens and foreign nationals without the benefit of due process of law, you are exposed to all forms of retaliation, and such retaliation has a chilling effect on open discourse and undermines the democratic process itself that millions of people have died to preserve. In this regard, consider the case of the Wilson family. To paraphrase an old truism, absolute or unchecked power corrupts absolutely�beware America!

11. We learn that American military (officers, soldiers) can do most anything and even atrocities (euphemistically identified as �contingent�) and still can present themselves honorable and clean of brutality and violence, indiscriminate killings, and the trampling on local population. They are often hailed as heroes and almost worshiped by a majority of fanatical often moronic individuals, politicians and citizens alike. Even those who drop bombs from over 30,000 feet above or those who fire missiles from great distances at sea on supposed enemies who have no defense systems whatsoever are considered to be heroes. Heroism is losing its true meaning fast in this war with Saddam Hussein.

12. We learn that the tragedy that one can observe in the Iraqi war and occupation, as in any other war and occupation, illustrates the fact that the killing and dying on either side of the conflict is done mostly by people or children of people who are from the �lower classes,� and the order is given by people who are from the �higher classes� safely tugged in their palaces and mansions.

13. We learn that most important newspapers, television broadcasters, and radio stations in the United States are willing propaganda arms of the United States Government and do not have objectivity in reporting news or commenting on conflicts where the United States military is engaged in an expedition, conflict, or war. In fact, what seemed comical was the way some famous anchors of television news programs behaved during their delivery of what was supposed to be objective news or analysis on the war with Saddam Hussein; those television personalities acted as if they were the �commanding generals� on a war room briefing their subordinates. The irony of it all, when it comes to the Iraqi war or the Palestine-Israeli conflict, the news media in oppressive governments in the Middle East seems to be doing a much freer and better reporting than the so called American media of the �free� world on coverage of similar events.

14. We learn that it is futile for any dictator to pick a fight with the United States Government. On the other hand, a smart dictator (contradictory terms) could become a valued �friend� of the United States if such a leader becomes a willing partner in the expansion of the imperialistic power of the United States Government in the guise of �globalization� and �free market� economic system and �universal� human rights�in this regard, consider the case of Meles Zenawi and his government.

15. We learn that people all over the world made a crucial mistake when they try to make a distinction between the Government of the United States and the people of the United States. The people of the United States do not seem to see themselves separate from the government of the United States. It is understandable that people from the rest of the world make such mistaken distinction.

16. We learn that not all human beings are quite equal. The lives of abused people under dictatorial governments is worth less in the eyes of the world including in the eyes of abused people themselves than the lives of people in developed nations.

17. We learn that Soldiers of every color from every nation are not much different from each other. They use violence to achieve goals set by individuals who are not themselves involved in the brutality of wars and conflicts. War does not solve anything; it simply reminds us how flawed human beings are.

18. We learn that whosoever raised his hand against Ethiopia had met with ignominious end, the recent being Saddam Hussein and his sycophantic officials. Ethiopia did not participate directly in the military operation in the war with Saddam Hussein, but Meles Zenawi�s government did put its name on the coalition roster, along with Isaias Afeworki�s government, which seems in the case of the latter like biting the hand that fed him.

19. We learn that brutal dictators are as much the creation of Western powers as much as the creation of local circumstances. Recent example on this point is the United States Government �appointed� Governing Council of Iraq. We are witnessing the seeds of the future dictatorial leaders of Iraq being sowed.

20. We learn that despite the dehumanizing effect of military engagement, despite the universal greed of national leaders, we find pockets of people in every country and every race with courage and righteousness who give hope to a number of people all over the world.

These are only very few of the many lessons of history to all who tune in and answer to the beckon of the times.

Tecola W. Hagos

December 2003