Foreign Policy Expert Laments European Appeasement of Saddam

by Chad Groening
December 18, 2003

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(AgapePress) - A former advisor to Lady Margaret Thatcher says it is unfortunate that religious leaders in Europe continue to appease former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. The conservative British scholar says it has even been a problem in his country.

Associated Press reported on Wednesday that Cardinal Renato Martino felt compassion for the deposed dictator after seeing video pictures in which, as he puts it, American forces treated the captured Iraqi leader "like a cow, having his teeth checked." In fact, the video showed a U.S. military medic using a tongue depressor to examine Saddam's mouth.

The Vatican official also said the Roman Catholic Church hoped Saddam would face trial in "an appropriate place." He did not say whether that should be in Iraq or before an international court.

Dr. Nile Gardiner is the visiting fellow for Anglo-American security policy at the Washington, DC-based Heritage Foundation. His areas of specialization include post-war Iraq, British foreign policy, and European Union foreign policy. He says it is regrettable that a Vatican official found it necessary to criticize the United States' handling of Saddam.

Gardiner says this kind of appeasement is not unusual among European clergy. "I think it's unfortunate that we have seen religious leaders in Europe and across the world appeasing the Saddam Hussein regime," Gardiner says.

According to the foreign policy expert, such responses are not limited to the Catholic Church. "It's a trend that we have seen sort of across the board with many religious groups in Europe -- not only the Catholic Church, but also the Church of England and many churches across Europe," he says.

Gardiner is disappointed that more European religious leaders did not speak out publicly for the removal of Saddam from power. He says it would just make matters worse if those religious leaders started calling for clemency for Saddam. "He's a man who certainly deserves no pity or clemency whatsoever," he says.