Stock markets soared throughout the world on Monday following confirmation that the 66-year-old former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein had been captured. This is one of the rare events in the past few years to be praised almost unanimously by the international community. This is evidence that Saddam's bloody rule over Iraq and Osama bin Laden's terrorist tactics are now recognized the world over as threats to people's lives and security -- opponents of humanity's march toward peaceful coexistence, mutual assistance and prosperity.
It will be difficult to list all of Saddam's crimes. According to Human Rights Watch, Saddam's Baath Party should face charges of war crimes, genocide and other atrocities committed during its 24 years in power. These include the murder of more than 100,000 Kurds in 1988 and the use of biochemical weapons in violation of international conventions.
It was a sharp irony to see Saddam, who never blinked when he killed people in the past, in such desolation after eight months on the run -- a sharp contrast to the glory, power and arrogance of yore. His fate is a warning to other rulers who are still oppressing their peoples.
As Saddam enters the dustbin of history, a new era is opening for the people of Iraq, in which the re-construction of their homeland with the help of the US, Britain and more than 60 other countries can no longer be delayed. The international powers in Iraq should capitalize on the symbolism of Saddam's arrest to help establish a free, democratic and peace-loving Iraq, introducing universal values into a region long seen as one of the world's flashpoints and putting an end to the wars that for many years have vexed the people of the Middle East. This will be a meaningful challenge in the new century.
However, while the world celebrates Saddam's arrest, the people of Taiwan can't help feeling sad about US President George W. Bush's views on freedom, democracy and peace. Why is he trying to stop Taiwan from holding a "defensive referendum" in March on the 496 missiles China has deployed in its coastal areas facing Taiwan and Beijing's refusal to renounce the use of force against this country?
What does a referendum on missiles have to do with Taiwan's independence? The decision-makers at the White House cannot sacrifice their stance on universal values such as democracy, freedom and peace in order to seek better relations with Beijing.
Of course, it is understandable that the US needs China's help to handle issues such as North Korea and bilateral trade. However, the US cannot simply seek short-term national interests -- and allow itself to succumb to the charm offensive that the new Chinese government has been engaging in. The White House should not forget the hundreds of thousands of people suffering in labor camps in China just because Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao (
The US nurtured the Saddam regime for many years. Now does it really want to repeat this history? Does it want to nurture a communist regime that has killed more than 20 million of its own people? The Taiwanese people hope not.
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