NAME: Saddam Hussein

AGE: 66

NATIONALITY: Iraqi

CLAIM TO FAME: The man who dared to defy America

AS PICTURES of a dirty, dishevelled man with a matted beard flashed across the globe on TV screens, viewers could not believe that the man who has been the subject of one of the greatest manhunts in historywas actually captured. This was the guy who had terrorized his enemies and ruled his country with an iron fist for decades. And yet, he was so meek, resigned and defeated in captivity. His captors picked through his shaggy hair and raccoon beard. They scraped his throat, checked his teeth and he was clearly very cooperative.

Saddam Hussein — the glorious leader whose call for martyrdom had many bravely laying down their lives — had surrendered; without a fight, without even a shot being fired, though he had a pistol in his lap. He didn’t even try to take his own life, instead he raised his hands and surrendered, reportedly saying: “I am Saddam Hussein, the president of the Republic of Iraq, and I am willing to negotiate.” The hunt for Saddam that began with a hellfire of bombs eight months ago ended without even a shot being fired or show of resistance.

The man Pentagon called ‘High Value Target Number One’ was found hiding inside a six-feet-deep hole, lying flat in a crawl space six-feet-by-eight-feet. The hole, or “rat hole” as President Bush has called it, was equipped with a ventilation device to allow him to breathe. Protruding from the wall was a tube, a crude urinal. The man who has a passion for palaces and monuments was reduced to the life of a bug. Was this the man who had launched three wars and countless battles?

Had Saddam Hussein been captured standing tall and spouting defiance, this victory would not have been so sweet for the Americans. A dignified Saddam being manhandled by Allied troops could well have become a rallying figure not just for former Baathists, but for Arab nationalists in Iraq and outside it. The images were clearly intended to shame and send out a message — anyone who stands up against the might of Uncle Sam won’t even find a hole big enough to hide.

By capturing Saddam alive, President Bush is spared the problem he faced after Saddam’s sons were killed last summer: even after camera crews were allowed to film the dead bodies of Uday and Qusay, many Iraqis remained unconvinced it was them. But capturing enemy leaders alive has its own problems too — how and where are they to be tried, and what rights of appeal and punishment does the accused get? A dead enemy or overthrown enemy is, in any case, a lot less trouble for those who have ousted them. The US administration has made it known that it would not object if Saddam is given the death penalty, even though this could reopen divisions with the United Nations and even some allies who oppose execution. As the world watches what fate awaits Saddam, other opponents and enemies of the mighty America and its allies will also watch things with bated breath as it will reveal whether it is better to be dead or be captured alive by them. However, all great leaders and heroes in history have always preferred to embrace death or have gone down fighting than being caught hiding like a coward. One wonders what Osama Bin Laden is thinking right now?