quote:
Originally posted by Ronn_Bman:
Bush said this yesterday, and today Iraq said, "NO WAY".
I would point out that Iraq has been in direct volation of the UN directives, and their surrender agreement at the end of the Gulf War, for the past 3 years.
It is thought that they continue to create chemical/biological testing. Why would anyone think otherwise? I saw a news show that stated after the end of the Gulf War, UN weapons inspectors found enough militarized botulism, aka "The Black Plague", to kill every person on Earth 3 times (what is it about weapons of mass destruction that makes people think they need enough to kill someone more than once [img]graemlins/arcadefreak.gif[/img] ). Some of the stockpile was found loaded on SCUD warheads.
Something should have been done 3 years ago, when Iraq started refusing to submit, but no one had the stomach for it. I hope they'll find the stomach now.
Syria has said it would be a deadly mistake for the US to take the war on terrorism to Iraq. Weird, I thought the UN still had sanctions in place that allow military action against Iraq if it violates the UN directives. By not allowing the inspections, Iraq forfeits the UN promise to stop hostilities against Iraq, and defacto allows coalition nations to take military action to force the submission.
Three years of negotiation and diplomacy have done nothing. Years of sanctions have only served to allow Saddam to say America is starving Iraqi children. I'd say this part isn't working too good, so maybe another 100 hour military excursion might be effective?
Erm, America has been bombing Iraq with unfailing regularity for the past three years! Did you not realise?? Bombing and sanctions, rather than negotiation and diplomacy. Millions of Iraqi kids die each year. Conditions within Iraq are appalling.
I don't know what the answer is on this one, but I doubt very much whether it's more bombing.
Saddam doesn't give a shit. He's safe in his bunker, and the more the Americans bomb, the more Iraqi citizens hate America, who they perceive as responsible for many of their ills. (Saddam is quite good at 'in-house' propaganda, I believe.)
Saddam needs to die, as do his coterie of torturers and murderers. Bombing isn't going to accomplish that. In a way, lifting sanctions (except of weapons of course) might be the best way to start accomplishing that. A starving people who hate America could change into a well fed people with the strength for rebellion. Ideally, Saddam's regime would be overthrown from within. Of course, it might be by something/someone just as bad.
God, do we need this world body with bite! Ron, just spotted your thread. Great idea! Just posted one or two thoughts.... Let's keep this one going!!