Iraqis took to the streets last week in reaction to the execution of Saddam Hussein on December 30. In cities controlled by the Shiite Muslim majority, celebratory gunfire greeted the dictator’s death. In Tikrit and other areas where Sunni Muslims dominate, people went on the march to show their anger. Hussein was a Sunni. During his 24 years of rule, Shiites felt abused. Now, they control the nation. Sunni-Shiite hatred fuels daily acts of violence in Iraq.
Removing Hussein from power was one of the U.S. goals in going to war with Iraq. But Hussein’s death did not seem to bring the conflict closer to its end. More than 3,000 Americans have died in Iraq since the war started in 2003.
This week, President George W. Bush was expected to propose an increase in the number of forces in Iraq. Analysts say that Bush will argue that a surge in troops is needed to win the war.
Some Democrats are likely to fight a plan that sends more soldiers to Iraq. On Thursday, the 110th Congress began with Democrats in control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. “The election of 2006 was a call to change,” says the new Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. “Nowhere were the American people more clear about the need for a new direction than in Iraq.”