Saddam Hussein's Iraq a step up from Putin's Russia

Submitted by Dave (United States), May 23, 2022 at 21:53

Based on this description, it sounds like the regime under Saddam Hussein was more open minded and democratic than the rubber-stamp rule of Vladimir Putin. Issues were obviously debated in Iraq, whereas Putin kills or imprisons anyone who disagrees with him.

Russia under the Communists at least had a politburo which made collective decisions, albeit by an elite, even under Stalin, but Putin's is strictly a one man show. The closest parallel is probably Adolf Hitler. The danger here is that if Putin is really psychotic, then there could be a nuclear or WMD attack since nobody would dare stop him. As it is, Putin has been fulfilling his personal power fantasies for far too long.

There are rumblings of discontent with him - a leading UN Russian diplomat recently resigned - but they would be a lot louder if only NATO would finally intervene. Psychopaths must be dealt with firmly since force is the only thing they understand, and Putin's underlings have to realize how detrimental he is to their own interests. The idea that we should hold back for fear of provoking him has failed in the past, as when we foolishly withdrew our Black Sea fleet prior to the invasion; such timidity is dangerous as it will only encourage more aggression.

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