Saddam Is Dead

Saddam Hussein has been executed in Baghdad. In the coming days, we can all expect renewed debate about whether deposing and executing Hussein has been worth the human and political toll. (I think our stance is clear.) As a background for this discussion, we hope you will consider two different articles from the recent archives of VQR:

Carleton J. Phillips’ “Capturing Saddam“—an account by a State Department official in Baghdad on the day of the capture.

Chris Hondros’ “Inside Saddam’s Spider Hole“—a brief report by one of the few journalists allowed into Hussein’s final hiding place.

And, lest anyone forget the effect of this war on American troops, we also provide a new article from our Winter issue. We sent David J. Morris to Al Anbar Province to spend over a month with the Marines in the most dangerous region of Iraq. His haunting dispatch is must reading.