| Sumario: | The article discusses the outlook for former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, who is going on trial to answer for his crimes. The U.S. President George W. Bush administration has been determined to show that international courts are not needed. Human rights activists worry about evenhandedness, because Iraq's Special Tribunal has a lower standard of proof than international courts. The tribunal can also use the death penalty, which is not an option for international courts. Then there is the question of legitimacy. There are signs of panic among Iraqi officials, who worry about the time factor of this trial. Hussein is 68 years old, and Iraqi law says that nobody over the age of 70 can be executed. What all this adds up to is a court and trial that seems almost certain to deliver a conviction quickly.
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