CRITICS from both the United States and abroad have lambasted President Bush for his refusal to back down on his preparation for a military campaign to topple Saddam Hussein's regime. Hopefully the president can withstand the critics and take steps to depose Hussein. The lives of people across the world depend on it.
It was 66 years ago when militarized Germany occupied the Rhineland, violating the treaties of Versailles and Locarno. Rather than engage in a preemptive war to prevent further German aggression, Europe allowed Hitler to grow in strength. If Britain and France had decided to stop Hitler in 1936, the most costly war the world had ever seen and the heinous genocide that resulted in the death of 13 million people, including six million Jews, might have been averted.
It is startling how many similarities there are between the rise of Hitler and the situation in Iraq. Saddam Hussein has violated the agreement that allowed him to maintain control over Iraq by refusing to allow United Nations weapons inspectors to thoroughly search his weapons facilities. Just a few days ago, Iraq's information minister, Mohammed Saeed Sahhaf, announced on Al Jazeerah TV that "inspections have finished in Iraq." Hussein has shown his willingness to use weapons of mass destruction through his employment of chemical weapons against the Kurds and Iranians. His gassing of the Kurds was an act of genocide.
One of the reasons for studying history is to learn from past mistakes. Hopefully this will be the case with Bush's decisions concerning Iraq.
One criticism of military action against Iraq holds that Iraq poses no significant threat to the United States. This is hardly the truth. Intelligence reports and defectors point to an Iraqi arsenal of chemical, biological and possibly nuclear weapons. CNN reported that Hussein may have 3.9 tons of VX, a nerve gas so potent that just a few drops on the skin can kill a person ("Russian, Chinese distrust underlies dispute," July 28, 1999). A 1999 United Nations Special Commission report to the United Nations Security Council reported that Hussein had hidden around 160 bombs full of anthrax and possibly other nasty pathogens.
One defector says that Iraqi scientists are researching a "Blue Nile" virus, which seems to many to be weaponized Ebola. The nuclear scientist who defected in 1994 said that Iraq was a few weeks away from attaining a nuclear bomb, and will have one soon if they don't already.
These weapons are not being manufactured for show. Some evidence suggests that Mohammed Atta, the leader of the 19 September 11 hijackers, met with an Iraqi intelligence agent in Prague prior to the attacks. While the Islamic fundamentalists and the secular Baathists do not typically get along, the possibility of an alliance should be taken seriously.
As devastating as it was, September 11 did not significantly damage American infrastructure. Imagine if Hussein armed al Qaeda with VX nerve gas or weaponized Ebola. Instead of losing several thousand people, millions might be killed. Al Qaeda is not dead, and it is still plotting America's demise. In that respect, the terrorist network is identical to Hussein.
Intelligence from Iraq shows that there are threats to Hussein's rule. When a malevolent despot like Hussein is cornered, the despot tends to strike. What better target than America with the help of al Qaeda?
Another argument against war, espoused by the editorial board of The New York Times, spoke of the devastation the war will have on the economy. Maybe investor and consumer confidence will decrease slightly in the midst of a war; maybe not. What is for sure is that losing Manhattan to one of Hussein's host of weapons would certainly destroy all confidence.
Other anti-war critics are wary of attacking Iraq because the United States likely will act unilaterally. As it stands, it looks like the United States will get few if any allies. That is unfortunate, but is not a reason to halt action. International law is a bunch of loose agreements that are relatively easy to break. The United States is supposed to attain the Security Council's permission. If it did ask for permission, it certainly would not get it. That doesn't mean the United States should sit back and watch one of the more brutal dictators in modern history (and there have been quite a few) prepare to kill millions in the United States and across the world.
Another anti-war argument attacks the idea of one state's right to infringe upon the sovereignty of another. The fallacy of this argument is that Hussein already has given up much of his sovereign rights by the invasion of Kuwait and the subsequent refusal to allow UNSCOM in Iraq to inspect his weapons.
Sanctions would be removed when Hussein ended production and research of weapons of mass destruction. He has not done this, causing immense suffering for the Iraqi population.
Common sense, a virtue so often lacking in the American social fabric, must be used when dealing with Iraq. There is not 100 percent certainty that Hussein will attack. However, even if there is a one percent chance of an attack upon American soil with his weapons, steps must be taken to depose Hussein. Casualties, both military and civilian, may be high. The long-term costs of not acting, however, will outweigh the short-term costs.
(Joe McMurray is a Cavalier Daily
columnist. He can be reached at
jmcmurray@cavalierdaily.com.)
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