Originally posted by Con_touring:


I think the U.S. did not like Saddam thumbing his nose at the U.S. agreement that he had agreed to keep back when he invaded Kuwait.





Keep in mind that it was not a "U.S. Agreement." The world told Saddam to 1) Get out and stay out of Kuwait, and 2) Stop bombing your own citizens in the northern mountains.

Also, part of the agreement was that he shouldn't shoot at the policemen who were enforcing these sanctions, yet he did so just about every single day for 10 years.

Also, it was an imperative part of the agreement that he not develop chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons (aka WMD), yet he made no attempt to confirm that he had no programs, was hostile to the people who could confirm his compliance with the resolution, and behaved as if he had something to hide. Every time I think about this, I'm reminded of a line from Dr. Strangelove. "Why didn't you tell the world?"

Anyway, main point here is that we did not act unilaterally in imposing or enforcing sanctions, nor in administering punishment and regime change (after many warnings that we would do just that), and that, given multiple opportunities to comply (or prove compliance), Saddam failed to do so.


Function before fashion. '96 Contour SE "Toss the Contour into a corner, and it's as easy to catch as a softball thrown by a preschooler." -Edmunds, 1998