Final Word from Wednesday, January 3, 2007
Foreign Minister Alexandr Vondra voiced what must be seen as the Czech government's response to the execution of Saddam Hussein. He said the ministry respects it as an act by which Iraq came to terms with the "leader of a regime that took the country into several senseless wars and caused the suffering of many innocent people." Critics of the Iraq war might retort that these words could also be applied to the regime of George W. Bush. Far more people have died during the Iraq war than Saddam was convicted of killing. As the balance of power in the world shifts, so does the world's perception of the behavior of those on the wrong end of the scales. The execution of Saddam has already deepened Europe's rift with the U.S. over Iraq. It's hard to predict how far the scales might tip, but Czech politicians are flexible and will undoubtedly know what to do when the time comes. [Czech Republic United States of America]