As seems to be the start of a terrible pattern with me (:)) I’m gonna go with Collounsubry.
Trade sanctions and such can work but this is clearly a case where it didn’t, and won’t. I say we grit our teeth and back out a bit.
There is little moral ground to gain ni keeping murder up. There may be no other way, even, to keep saddam under foot…but the ends we might not even gain don’t justify the means we’re using.
Hi Dopers!
I’m closer to the region and am in contact with events in Iraq, so I hope I can give a different perspective. I’ve read the posts so far; I agree with some arguments and disagree with others. But I think US - based Dopers are in on one side of the whole story.
Closer to Iraq, in the Arab world, many believe that the extended sactions on Iraq are directly linked to the Arab - Israeli peace process. The sactions are thought to be a way to weaken the Arab position in general by cornering the Palestinians (and other negotiators). “Hey, you’re the weaker side, no strong Arab countries are there to back you, so give in.”
The argument is generally linked to the fact that the peace process only started after the end of the Gulf war and start of the sactions on Iraq. Recently, the sactions started to loosen, as the peace process seemed to be finalizing. Many believe that the sanctions will only be lifted after the peace process is finalized, or after Iraq itself is bombed into singing one with Israel.
If you’d ask me, this does make sense. What do you think?
Thank you, Lightkeeper, for elucidating a point of view for which I was heretofore unaccquainted. Welcome!
There’s a metaphor floating around here, but I don’t quite have a grasp upon it. It has something to do with the biggest kid in school getting into a tangle with some poor bastard who is admittedly an asshole, but the big kid has been sitting on the asshole for what, ten years? trying to get him to say “uncle” and the asshole just isn’t recanting. The asshole is in danger of getting credit for persistence. When is recess going to end?