Iraq: after Saddam's capture resistance continues
14 December 2003


It was without doubt the biggest triumph of Paul Bremer's career. Before a hand-picked crowd of journalists and stooge Iraqis, the pro-consul of the US occupation forces uttered the words "Ladies and gentlemen, we got him."

Bush and Blair have called on the resistance to, lay down their arms, to unite with the rest of the Iraqi people and enjoy the "fruits of democracy".

Saddam Hussein was indeed a disgusting dictator and his overthrow was no loss for the Iraqi people. But except a few stooge Iraqis there is hardly anyone in the country who greets the colonial rule of the Bush-Cheney-Junta. Why should they? The new overlords destroyed through the war the infrastructure, appropriate now the industry and the oil resources and slash millions of jobs.

The result was a growing resistance which led to dozens of attacks each day and more than 100 dead only in November. Many commentators, even in the USA, already see in Iraq a new Vietnam.

But now Bush, Bremer & Co. hope that with the capture of Saddam Hussein the desperately awaited decisive turn in the fight against the muqawama (resistance) – as the Arabs call the Iraqi guerrillas. They hope the arrest of the former dictator will demoralise the resistance and increase the readiness of the Iraqis to collaborate with the US occupiers.

Is this a realistic hope? Of course, the capture of Hussein is a prestigious coup for the increasingly embattled US president. Can this propaganda coup be deepened? This depends on whether they can break Hussein in one way or another and make him testify for the USA.

A Saddam Hussein who – because of real demoralisation and/or under the influence of drugs – could be won to fully take the blame, who calls the resistance to lay down the weapons and for collaboration with the occupiers would be a priceless for the colonial rulers.

Let's not forget the consequences of the capitulation of Abdullah Öcalan in 1999 which led to the decline of the Kurdish PKK. But if Hussein emulates Slobodan Milosevic in The Hague the propaganda coup would be of limited value for the USA.

In the end most commentators greatly overestimate the importance of Saddam Hussein for the Iraqi resistance. In reality the spectrum of the guerrilla resistance is very broad and only a minority can be described as Saddam loyalists.

Many Iraqis and partisans insist in interviews that they do not fight for Saddam Hussein but against the US colonial occupation. Even many resistance fighters influenced by Arab nationalism of the Ba&Mac226;ath party distanced themselves from Saddam Hussein. This is even more true for the resistance forces of an Islamist background or based on tribal loyalties.

The capture of Saddam Hussein therefore might improve the popularity ratings of Bush. But it will not break the resistance of the Iraqis. The next big attack, the next successful ambush such as the one in Samara will force the US administration to accept this reality. The triumphant words of Paul Bremer "We got him!" will then only cause a shrug of shoulders and the response, "So what?"

Now read: more articles on the Iraqi resistance