To: one_less who wrote (697675 ) 2/6/2013 11:39:20 PM From: i-node 1 Recommendation Read Replies (1) | Respond to It was well known that one of the goals of the sanctions was to fuel an internal rebellion against Saddam, once the suffering caused by denying life sustaining necessities became unbearable. In Western democracies widespread deprivation causes enough political pressure to force change. Not so in Iraq where by 1991 we knew the internal course chosen by Saddam was to exploit the situation by concentrating the deprivation and suffering on his adversaries, (Shiites in the South and Curds to the North) who he was already killing in genocidal attacks. He continued to divert the sanction resources to the benefit of his regimists. It was planned and articulated as a deliberate strategy by our government which failed when Saddam turned the table. The fall back is to throw all blame Saddam (who was definitely evil) but responsibility also resides with our government who expected this suffering to serve as a catalyst for revolution.
