Saddam Will Hang

It is not his last conviction, surely, but Saddam faced sentencing for the killing 148 Shia men and women. He was sentenced to death by hanging. He had requested death by firing squad (presumably a soldiers death) and instead will be treated like a common criminal. It remains to be seen what effect this will have (1) on the Nov 7 election in the USA or (2) the unrest in Iraq. My own gut reaction is that will likely be the start of a diminution of violence, or a trigger for the outbreak of outright civil war in Iraq.