Another Leader Falls
It may not be clear what caused the death of Milosevic; it may be the case that we never know. However the case of Milosevic is a reminder of the problem of what to do with a tyrant who is removed from power. In the past it was often much simpler…the deposed King and his family were killed to prevent usurpation and plotting (see Machiavelli’s The Prince for further details).
Even Churchill advocated this path. He swore that if Hitler was captured he should be put to death because Churchill understood that any trial would inevitably become a farce.
He was certainly correct if we look at the two most recent examples; both Milosevic and Saddam Hussein’s trials are drawn out affairs, often giving the leaders opportunities to speak from their soap boxes rather than administrating justice. Certainly the “sudden death” of Milosevic has ended a problem that wasn’t going to be solved by the Hague Tribunal. Perhaps Saddam should watch his back if he doesn’t want to face the same fate.