Over at Samizdata.net Perry de Havilland looks at Iraq's future and argues that no accommodation is either possible nor desirable with Ba'athist Socialism. He points out the differences in impact on society between external overthrow of totalitarian regimes such as Germany, Italy and Japan and gradual dissipation of communist totalitarianism in Russia, Eastern Europe caused by decaying security apparatus and invitable decline of marxist economies.

A 'De-Ba'athification' process is what must follow the destruction of Saddam Hussain's state. Mere membership of the Ba'athist Party must be taken as prima facie evidence that the person is unfit for any political role whatsoever and membership in the Fedayeen Saddam must carry with it a presumption of guilt for crimes. When an anti-Ba'athist Iraqi regime is in place, they must not only not be restrained from conducting their own systematic purging of Iraqi society, but must be required to do so.

There are, indeed, some important lessons to be learnt from both denazification of Germany and from developments in post-communist societies in Eastern Europe. Full article here.