Hawk, perception is NOT reality.
Exactly. And your "perception" that Saddam didn't have WMD didn't jibe with the "reality" of his actions and rhetoric.
Iraq might have agreed to transparency in some sort of surrender document to the UN after the first attack to evict him from Kuwait.
Of course it was "coerced". It was his punishment for having invaded Kuwait. But it was also his "reward" in that it permitted to remain in power so long as he obeyed the terms of the cease-fire. (and a cease fire is NOT a peace treaty, as we know very well from the NK/SK conflict).
This was not just a condition of the US, but also the UNSC. The terms of the cease fire and inspection process were all part of UNSC Resolution 687 and binding as international law.
It's like putting a blatant crack dealer a cease and desist order rather than arresting, convicting, and sending them to jail. So long as the perpetrator opens up his residence for a full-fledge inspection he/she can stay free on probation. But if they attempt to maintain the image that they're still "open for business" selling drugs, then there is sufficient probable cause to take them physically into custody and insure they have no more drugs in their possession to be sold or distributed.
We had plenty of very high-level intelligence that told us that Saddam was telling his subordinates that he still possessed WMDs (nuclear, biological, and especially chemical). And it was on this information that we ultimately acted.
Hunches are hunches.. they are not facts.
But anyway.. this discussion is "overcome by events" now.. And the number of Iraqis who desire to return to the days of Saddam are very limited.
And now we're seeing the events in Egypt are having an impact on Iraq's PM, who has recently announced he will not run for a 3rd term.
This is what needs to happen in the Muslim world, an acceptance that political power must be permitted to shift from ideology to ideology, at the will of the people. It matters not whether it's Muslim Brotherhood, or Socialism, or Capitalist based.. If they don't serve the needs of the people, the people should be able to hold them accountable and throw them out of power.
It also has the added advantage that when a government drags it's citizenry into war, the entire nation bears the responsibility and conscience for that undertaking.
Hawk |
