Saddam Hussein was more Benito Mussolini than Josef Stalin...

“A prince must imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves. Those that wish to be only lions do not understand this. Therefore, a prudent ruler ought not to keep faith when by so doing it would be against his interest, and when the reasons which made him bind himself no longer exist. If men were all good, this precept would not be a good one; but as they are bad, and would not observe their faith with you, so you are not bound to keep faith with them.”
---Niccolo Machiavelli

Saddam Hussein like Benito Mussolini was a Machiavelli Prince Type at best...Tha Artstorian Reports...
How can one compare the Butcher of Baghdad to the Butcher of Russia a.k.a. Josef Stalin and be taken seriously as if it were the gospel truth??? How can you equate the killing hundred of thousands to millions...Saddam was a Mussolini type at best or worst because historically he was just enough to keep so called warring city states that was once known as Iraq together and functional...In 1921 the British Empire invented the country known as Iraq...To paraphrase Winston Churchill, it was stated that a ruthless dictator was needed in that new country and region to keep the whole project from collapsing and to avoid creating a power vacuum full of chaos and uncertainty...Benito Mussolini, a former elementary school teacher, was the ruthless dictator that rose to the rank of supreme leader or Il Duce of the Fascist a.k.a. the Black Shirts movement/political party in Italy much like Saddam who also came from humble beginnings to rise as the figurehead of the Baathist party...Mussolini for his part ruled Italy with an iron fist...He kept the Italian Mafia in check by locking them up like caged animals and parading them through the streets of Rome and Italy...Mussolini was one of the main reasons why so many Mafiosi fled Italy like rats abandoning a sinking ship for the Prohibition riches of the United States of America...Saddam Hussein also ruled the same way (I never heard of Saddam during his more than a quarter century rule have any problems with people becoming suicide bombers and car bomber aficionados)...Both men were known for killing close relatives and associates when they got out of hand...Both men possessed deadly charm and were persuasive orators and propagandists...Both men had landmark military victories that defined their careers...Mussolini flexed his military muscle (with Hitler's Germany help) in his skirmishes with Ethiopia during the 1930s while Saddam's came when he defeated (with U.S. help) the Iranians during the 1980s (the enemy of my enemy is my friend mentality)...

Saddam being put in a chokehold...

However, when they lost their key alliances (Germany for Italy and U.S. for Iraq) on the international front Saddam Hussein and Benito Mussolini were a lot like paper tigers and poker card game bluffers because their militaries and limited resources could not fend off invading forces and growing dissension among their own ranks which ultimately resulted in their hangings and deaths...

Mussolini hanging out and spending quality time with his mistress Clara Petacci
Saddam and Mussolini were classic Machiavelli type leaders in that they had the ability to hold their countries together through their cunning and ruthlessness, but were limited by their resources in satisfying imperial ambitions.

To download a free copy of Machiavelli's landmark book "The Prince" please click on the following link:
http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/1232

More Saddam Execution News and Reaction courtesy of the BBC