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OrionTheWolf -> RE: The crazies are coming out of the and they have radio to support them (10/11/2009 8:53:52 AM)
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~FR~
" In April 1991, as part of the permanent cease-fire agreement ending the Persian Gulf War, the UN Security Council ordered Iraq to eliminate under international supervision its biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons programs, as well as its ballistic missiles with ranges greater than 150 kilometers. The Security Council declared that the comprehensive economic sanctions imposed in 1990 on Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait would remain in place until Baghdad had fully complied with its weapons requirements. "
"Baghdad agreed to these conditions but for eight years deceived, obstructed, and threatened international inspectors sent to dismantle and verify the destruction of its banned programs. This systematic Iraqi effort to conceal and obscure the true extent of its weapons of mass destruction programs began almost immediately, when Baghdad lied about the status of its programs in its initial declarations and obstructed an inspection team."
"Iraq continued to harass, hinder, and frustrate inspectors until late 1998, when the inspectors withdrew from Iraq just hours before the United States and the United Kingdom launched three days of military strikes against Iraq for its noncooperation. Since that time, Iraq has permitted only limited inspections of declared nuclear sites but has not yet allowed the return of intrusive inspections to verify that it has lived up to its commitment to get rid of its prohibited weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs."
" Following is a year-by-year summary of major events in Iraq and an assessment of what arms inspectors accomplished and what remains undone in Iraq. "
http://www.armscontrol.org/act/2002_10/iraqspecialoct02
Now for my comments:
Saddam was an effective liar. Once his WMD programs were severaly hampered, and almost eliminated; almost. Saddam did this so that his neighbors, which he had been at war with before, would believe that he still had WMD's, and they knew he was willing to use them. This was Saddam's strategy, and it was effective, in fact it was too effective.
Since Saddam had a history of lying about his weapons programs, combined with a history of interfering with inspectors, most world intelligence agencies gave a better than 70% chance (would have to do some digging to find that source again, so take it or leave it) of still either having WMD's or the capability to produce more. Whether he had them or not, he was in violation of the original cease-fire agreement that the Iraqi government signed. Whether this is justification for war, I do not, and did not then believe so.
The faulty, and fabricated intelligence the US used detracted from the fundamental, and factual basis that many countries considered Iraq a huge threat, and this included Arab and Muslim (there is a difference) neighbors. Were some WMD's or the manufacturing capability of WMD's moved out of the country before the last invasion? That is something I do not believe we will ever know, but some of the facts remain, and cannot be disputed.
I again state that none of this was a justification for all out war, but I do believe it would have been a justification for other military and possibly covert actions against his regime.
I am not sure what this has to do with the OP, but if it is going to be discussed, at least facts should be used.
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