Iraq 2002 - Reason for War
Without a doubt, almost all of the attempts to contain and deter the current Iraqi regime have eventually failed. The only policy that has a proven success against Saddam Hussein has been the use of military force. As the world's only superpower, the United States of America has the capability to remove Saddam Hussein from power. But is a war with Iraq the only option? Iraq became an independent kingdom in 1933, have the destruction of the Ottoman Empire in World War I. Proclaimed a republic in 1958, the country has in actuality been ruled by various tyrants and military strongmen since. Iraq is 432,072 square miles, approximately twice the size of Idaho (CIA World Factbook 2002 - Iraq). With a population of about 24 million people and a GDP of $59 billion (debt of $140 billion), Iraq is a relatively small country. The current 'president' is Saddam Hussein, who originally rose to power in 1979 through a coup in which the Ba'ath Party (Arab Socialist Renaissance Party) overthrew the government of General Abdul Arif (Iraq 12/01). During his twenty-year term, Saddam has engaged in many atrocities and human right violations. He has oppressed and massacred Iraq's native Kurdish population in the north and native Shia popula
To generate funds for his military and WMD (weapons of mass destruction) programs, Saddam charges a surcharge of fifty cents on every barrel of oil sold through the UN program, with the surcharges paid into an Iraqi-controlled account (Iraq Country Analysis Brief). During Iraq's eight-year war with Iran, Saddam used chemical and biological weapons against his enemy, including a massive chemical weapons attack against the city of Halajaba that killed several thousand civilians (Iraq 12/1). In addition, all transactions would take place with UN-controlled accounts, ensuring that Iraq's revenues were spent on humanitarian supplies (Pollack, 82). Worth about 17 billion dollars in trade, Iraq has made it quite clear that countries must "play ball" in exchange for lucrative "Oil for Food" contracts and other contracts (Pollack, 83). The doves were the predominate group in Bush's and Clinton's administrations, as well as George W. Deterrence assumes that the country that is to be deterred has rational leadership, which Iraq does not. Saddam Hussein has proven time and time again that his quest for WMDs is worth much more than the health and life of his people, as well as the stability of his country. But, in the last 14 months, Iraq has sought to purchase thousands of specially designed aluminum tubes "which officials believe were intended as components of centrifuges to enrich uranium" (A Decade of Deception and Defiance). "Saddam has often and loudly said that his goal is to create a new Arab union of some kind, headed by a powerful Iraq, that will be a new superpower" (Pollack, 150). Iraq was only able to export oil (Iraq's main export) in exchange for food and humanitarian supplies, according to UN Resolution 687. Once he acquires a sufficient amount of chemical, biological, and nuclear weaponry, there is no telling what he will do. Iraq has a large natural deposit of uranium, but currently posses no methods for enriching enough uranium to complete his nuclear weapons. Also, Iraq regularly 'tops-off' tankers used for legitimate transport, by adding as much as 500,000 barrels to each tanker after UN inspectors have left.
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