In the aftermath of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Saddam Hussein, the man who ruled the country with an iron fist, was captured. He was then executed by the new Iraqi government. However despite what most people believe, taking out Saddam wasn't the problem, taking out his political party - was. In June 2003, the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority of Iraq banned the Iraqi Ba'ath party and all its members. This was the most ill-conceived decision in the whole invasion of Iraq affair, as it completely upset the fragile balance of power that existed in the Middle East.