The trial of Saddam Hussein, which started Wednesday, is not important because it will likely result in some sort of punishment for the dictator. It’s important because it will present to the Iraqi people and the world an accounting of the atrocities committed under Hussein’s regime.

Saddam has lost power. He is confined to a cell where he is constantly watched. It’s unlikely he will ever take a breath again as a free man, and he might well be executed for crimes against his own people.

The significance of the trial is to write the history of his reign, to put a period on it, and to compile the truth for all to see.

Right now, there’s a battle going on in Iraq between people who want to chart a new path into the future and those who would like to revert to the structures of the past, be it the past of Saddam or the past of a theocratic country. If the elements of reversion – most dangerously represented by the insurgents and Islamic militias bent on turning the clock back – have the opportunity, they will write the history of their country to suit their own means.

Compiling a full, accurate and honest accounting of what happened in Iraq creates a strong incentive never to go back.

Saddam’s life ended on the day the United States invaded his country. The trial is about the truth. For Sunnis, that means facing the horrors perpetuated against the Shiites and Kurds by a government they empowered.