Enemy of the State: The Trial and Execution of Saddam Hussein

Following Saddam's capture he faced justice... not at the hands of the United States or the Coalition but before an Iraqi court. Unsurprisingly, the media at the time failed to report pertinent points regarding the 2005/2006 Dujail incident. The image presented by the media was one of a cortroom out of control, but the real story was about the attempts by defense attorneys (like the Anti-American Ramsey Clark) to question the legitimacy of the court, rather than face the charges. As the authors point out in this book, The process that led to the creation of the high court was a reasoned one and everything was done to make it as fair for Saddam as possible, despite the near-universal hatred for him in Iraq. If you really want to know about the trial of Saddam Hussein and to understand the authority and the law which condemned him. Parts of it are not easy to follow if you aren't a law student but the information is there for you to go through.

Because co-author Mike Newton was there from the beginning, taking part in so many of the incidents revealed, this highly readable book is the number one source for the proceedings surrounding Iraq's war crimes trials. The reader comes away with enormous respect for the Iraqis and the Americans both in front and in back of the cameras, all working to ensure that Iraq's strongmen were given as fair a trial as possible. We not only get a taste of the hatred existing between different sects and groups in the country, but also also learn how Saddam Hussein strutted throughout the trial, most likely believing that he would be saved by his antics, proclaiming his innocence even in the face of overwhelming evidence that he headed one of the most brutal regimes in the world. Sadly, there has been continuous suffering in Iraq, from the first day of its formation after World War I. While reading this book, I felt the acute pain of ordinary Iraqis, and now have an even greater understanding of the heart-felt losses experienced by so many Iraqis. Hopefully when the judge's gavel is lowered on the final trial, Iraqis can find the peace they are longing for. For any person interested in one of the most searing chapters in modern history, I highly recommend this well-written book. Mayada, Daughter of Iraq: One Woman's Survival Under Saddam Hussein

Like most Americans, my awareness was murky, at best, of the chain of events that transpired between the time that Saddam Hussein was disinterred from his "spider hole" to his ignominious execution by hanging. I was vaguely aware that there had been a much-publicized trial that was marred by outbursts from Hussein and his co-defendants. I recall comments by the media that the court was either a puppet of the U.S. occupation force or a "kangaroo court" cobbled together as a fig leaf to cover raw revenge on the part of the dictator's Iraqi enemies and victims. Michael A. Newton and Michael P. Scharf have provided an important service in setting the record straight - not only about the trial of Saddam Hussein, but of the steps that led to the establishment of the tribunal that sat in judgment of him. Both authors work behind the scenes in advising those who set up the Iraqi High Tribunal and guiding the intricate blending together of Iraqi domestic law and international law that governed the trial. Theirs is a straight-forward and illuminating peek inside the proverbial tent that housed the trial and execution of the Iraqi despot. It became clear to me in reading the authors' account of the last months of Saddam Hussein's life, that his trial was not the three-ring circus and rush to judgment that some of the global media have portrayed it to be. Neither was it the flawless exercise of judicial probity and restraint that the new Iraq government and their supporters hoped it could be. The messy truth of how it played itself out is a compelling story and important historical footnote. Despite the best efforts of U.N. Secretary General, Kofi Annan, to withhold support and counsel to the Iraqi jurists, there were some recognized experts in international law who made themselves available to the Iraqi judges, who under Saddam's regime had been kept hermetically sealed off from developments in the field of jurisprudence outside of Iraq. There was a need for them to be given a quick remedial course in how to apply international law and judicial practice to the trial of Saddam. "They knew that they were unprepared for the rigors that lay ahead. Saddam had prevented Iraqi lawyers from traveling abroad to learn the detailed provisions of modern international criminal law. Iraqis were often embarrassed that the regime had kept them from staying abreast of the latest developments of the integrated body of law that had developed since the end of the Gulf War in 1991. The trainers in London were notable experts in the complex body of international law that would need to be used by the Iraqis. The judges were attentive both in large groups and in the small working groups. This week of training was followed by a mock trial held at Stratford-upon-Avon, as well as more training at the International Institute fro Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences in Siracusa, Italy. The tribunal investigators had a special training session dedicated to their unique needs held in

This is a wonderfully assembled, very readable, fully informed account of the capture, trial and execution of Saddam Hussein. It brings into view the many legal organizations and dedicated individuals, from the international legal community, who pitched in to assist Iraqi jurists, and bring Iraqi law into harmony with developments in international law in the thirty years since Saddam imposed his tyranny on the people of Iraq. Features of the process with which the Western reader is unfamiliar (such as the great store many leading Iraqis set on the reimposition of a legal framework for acts of state, the courage with which many Iraqi judges had continued to function during the Saddam regime, the achievements and mistakes of the trial, and the difficulties that beset war crimes trials in general. The authors participated in the advisory process and tell their story with authority and dramatic empathy.

This is a GREAT book! It is meticulously written by Professors Newton and Scharf, each equally qualified both by education and experience as subject matter experts in international law. What sets them apart is that they have served as Advisors for some of the more notorious dictators to be brought to trial, most recently the Iraqi High Tribunal, in the eventual trial of Saddam Hussein. They were tasked with an unenvious task that many legal scholars would pass up due to the innate challenges that such a monumentous undertaking would present, but the work speaks for itself. This book takes the reader through some of the history of Iraq during Saddam's reign. Where part of its strength lies is not specifically in the details of his atrocities, but in describing the effort of gathering evidence that eventually found him guilty. It shows great depth and insight into the resolve of the Iraqi people and the transition from a population living in mortal fear of this dictator, to those that found their own identity through the trial's proceedings. It starts off with the capture of Saddam; after months of intensive searching and failed missions to the pre-trial proceedings, the trial itself, and concludes with his execution and afterthoughts. Much of the strength of this book lies in the minutiae of the preparation for the trial, and the trial itself. The information presented, the history chronicled, the exasperation of the Iraqi people, the anguish over whether to utilize the death penalty as a sentence against someone who used it with casual abandon on his own citizens.. all of this and so much more. It reveals volumes to the reader about the Iraqi people, and some of the key personnel that helped bring about change (specifically, Judge Ra'id). For over twenty five years, Saddam Hussein has been a public fixture in the minds of many. To western civilizations, he was the enemy that had to be removed from power in order to effect a sense of justice and stability in Iraq. To many in the Middle East, he was a dreaded and feared enemy, whose unpredictability and ruthlessness was unparallelled. However you look at it, it is a well-told story of justice. Saddam Hussein has been woven into the fabric of our minds, and short of actually being in the court room while the trial occurred, this is the next best thing, and then some... it gives incredible insight into all that went into the trial. It affirms the Iraqi justice system's validity in conducting a fair trial, which would stand up to the scrutiny of any international agency's oversight. If you are looking for authenticity and a powerful story told in a modern historical context, I would not hesitate to read this book. Contemporary historians will be drawn in not only by the fluidity of the narrative, but at how much is revealed throughout Saddam's trial.