Enemy Of The State: The Trial And Execution Of Saddam Hussein

Advance Praise for "Enemy of the State"
"A masterful blend of first-rate historical writing that provides both provocative and penetrating analysis. This work is an authoritative account of the Saddam Hussein trial. No journalist, historian, or political scientist who writes about this chapter in history will be able to ignore it."--Richard Goldstone, former Chief Prosecutor of the Yugoslavia Tribunal
"A timely, dramatic, and unflinchingly honest account, filled with perceptive insights. A gold mine for historians. This is far more than the story of a trial--it is a metaphor for our common struggle to build the rule of law around the world."--David Crane, former Chief Prosecutor of the Special Court for Sierra Leone
"Both Newton and Scharf are internationally renowned criminal law experts. They once again prove their expertise in this superbly written and insightful chronicle of the Saddam Hussein trial. "Enemy of the State" offers a window into this extraordinary trial, shedding new light on almost every aspect of the proceedings. This book will add immensely to the understanding and promotion of international justice."--Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association
"The United States paid for and helped set up the tribunal that tried Saddam Hussein, but lost control of key aspects that helped turn it into what the authors call one of the messiest trials in judicial history. The authors, both insiders who helped train the Iraqi judges, chart the mistakes, missteps, and misconceptions surrounding the trial and offer a valuable day-to-day account with a discussion of the legal theories and practice underpinning the key decisions."--Roy Gutman, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist
""Enemy of the State" gives us an incomparably immediate view of one of the liveliest episodes in recent Middle Eastern history: the capture, the trial, and the execution of Iraqi despot Saddam Hussein. Authors Newton and Scharf have so vividly described the courtroom dramatics that readers will feel themselves a witness to Saddam Hussein's swagger. A page-turner with fast-paced action that reads like a novel, this book is sure to satisfy the casual reader and history enthusiasts alike."--Jean Sasson, New York Times bestselling author of "The Rape of Kuwait"; and international bestseller, "Mayada, Daughter of Iraq"

At 12: 21 p.m., on October 19, 2005, Saddam Hussein was escorted into the Courtroom of the Iraqi High Tribunal in Baghdad for one of the most important and chaotic trials in history. For a year, two American law professors had led an elite team of experts who prepared the judges and prosecutors for "the mother of all trials." Michael Scharf, a former State Department official who helped create the Yugoslavia Tribunal in 1993, and Michael Newton, then a professor at West Point, would confront such issues as whether the death penalty should apply, how to run a fair trial when political and military passions run so high, and which of Saddam's many crimes should be prosecuted.
Newton was in Baghdad in December 2003 when the Tribunal was announced and Saddam was captured. In the following months, Scharf and Newton helped write the rules of the Tribunal, conducted a mock trial in (perhaps appropriately) Stratford-upon-Avon, England, and provided legal analysis on dozens of issues. Newton then returned to Baghdad several times during the trial and appeal. Now, from its two shapers, comes the fascinating inside story of the trial and execution of Saddam Hussein and the attempt to bring the rule of law to post-invasion Iraq.