Former U.S. Administrator in Iraq Paul Bremer: Iraqis Are Better off Today than Under Saddam Rule

Following is an excerpt from an interview with Paul Bremer, former U.S. Administrator of Iraq, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on April 5, 2008:

Interviewer: There was coexistence between the various [Iraqi] sects, even if under a dictatorship, as you might claim. But with regard to the minorities – the Christians, the women – any neutral observer would acknowledge that they were better off under Saddam than they are now, or under your rule.

Paul Bremer: It is up to the Iraqis to say whether or not their condition has improved. I don't know who you have been talking to, but this was not my impression, nor do the polls suggest this.

Interviewer: Churches were not burned down in the days of Saddam, like they are now, and women were not killed merely for wearing makeup.

Paul Bremer: Whenever a dictatorship is toppled, you can say things used to be better. We've heard this in the past. In Europe, when Hitler was removed, some people said that he paved good roads. In Italy, people said that Mussolini made the trains come on time. People in Iraq say all kinds of things about Saddam. I wholeheartedly believe that life in Iraq is better without Saddam, despite the violent acts and the problems we've encountered. Iraq is a better country today than it was in the past, according to the vast majority of Iraqis.