And Saddam's execution, though anticipated, comes as a blow.

Several Iraqis argue that given the current situation, he was just a figurehead, a bad memory but his execution, especially on the eve of Eid Al Adha, could well be a catalyst for violence.

In a country that is now split along every imaginable divide, Saddam was possibly the one man who could keep it together. The greatest fear Iraqis now face is whether or not their unity, no matter how restive, will ever be restored.

Image: (Above) Iraqis protesting in mid-2005 against US occupation. Iraqis stand amidst the wreckage after a car bomb killed eight (Below) Iraqi civilians and wounded 10 more on December 27 when it exploded near a restaurant in northeastern Baghdad.