Thesis: The U.S.-led coalition removed Hussein's outlaw regime from Iraq and in doing so, it eliminated the imminent threat posed by Hussein, his WMD program, and his ties to international terrorists.

Summary: This article presents an argument in favor of the United States-led war in Iraq. On August 2, 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded the oil-rich country of Kuwait, Iraq's neighbor to the south, and soon after, the United Nations authorized a coalition, led by the U.S., to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. By April 1991, Hussein signed a cease-fire agreement with the UN that required him to meet a series of obligations, among other things, he pledged to fully disclose and end all programs to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Hussein did not meet any of his obligations to the UN, and after 12 years of failed diplomatic efforts to force him to comply, it appears he never intended to. When the coalition invaded Iraq in 2003, UN resolutions authorizing the U.S. and its allies to use force to rid Iraq of WMD were still in effect. Indeed, the Gulf War never really ended. Other nations have WMD capabilities, but Hussein's regime was unique in its willingness to use them. Rather than standing by and waiting for tragedy, the U.S.-led coalition removed Hussein's outlaw regime from Iraq, and, today, the Iraqi people no longer live under a brutal dictatorship.

On August 2, 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded the oil-rich country of Kuwait, Iraq's neighbor to the south. Soon after, the United Nations (U.N.) authorized a coalition of 38 countries, formed and led by the United States, to drive Iraqi forces out of Kuwait. By April 1991, Hussein signed a cease-fire agreement with the U.N. that required him to meet a series of obligations. Among other things, he pledged to fully disclose and end all programs to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Hussein did not meet any of his obligations to the U.N., and after 12 years of failed diplomatic efforts to force him to comply, it appears he never intended to.

Hussein's refusal to disarm was immediately apparent. To add pressure, the U.N. authorized the U.S. and British military to enforce a trade embargo. An oil-rich country itself, Iraq earned up to $27 billion a year in oil revenues before the Gulf War. In 1996, the U.N. allowed Hussein to sell oil to buy food, medicine, and other items needed for the humanitarian relief of its citizens. By 2001, Iraq had earned $15.8 billion in oil revenues through the program, but Iraqi living standards remained far below pre-Gulf War levels, with many citizens facing near starvation. Meanwhile, Hussein used oil-for-food monies to pay for his castles and military. He continued to sell large quantities of oil illegally as well, to Syria and other countries, earning billions of dollars for his regime.

The U.S. and Great Britain also enforced no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq to prevent Hussein from attacking other countries or his own people (the Kurds to the north and the Shiites to the south). Hussein once ordered the killing of every person between 15 and 70 in some Kurdish villages, and has gassed 40 Iraqi villages.

Hussein's U.N. agreement required him to stop repressing his people, but he did not. In 2001, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights said Iraq continued to commit "extremely grave" violations of human rights, terrorizing tens of thousands of Iraqis with random arrests and imprisonment; summary executions; and torture by beating and burning, electric shock, starvation, mutilation and rape. Many Iraqis were forced to watch the torture of their wives and children.

Iraqi dissidents who left Iraq were often hunted and killed. In 1993, Hussein's regime attempted to assassinate former President George H.W. Bush and the Emir of Kuwait. He sheltered and supported terrorists that unleashed unprovoked violence on Israel, Iran and Western governments.

Hussein's refusal to cooperate with weapons inspections and prove that he dismantled his WMD and long-range missiles was potentially deadly. Although he said Iraq had no biological weapons, a senior official from Iraq's weapons program defected and, in 1995, exposed the truth. Hussein then admitted to producing 5,000 gallons of botulinum, 2,000 gallons of anthrax, 25 Scud warheads filled with biological agents, and 157 aerial bombs. U.N. inspectors believe Iraq produced up to four times that amount, and say that Iraq also failed to disclose the whereabouts of more than three metric tons of raw material for producing biological weapons.

In 1998, after six years of ignoring his commitments to the U.N. and hindering weapons inspections, Hussein blocked the U.N.'s entry into Iraq altogether. In response, President Bill Clinton signed the Iraq Liberation Act, changing the official U.S. goal in Iraq from containing Hussein to removing his regime from power. Two months later, he authorized military strikes on Iraq. "Saddam must not be allowed to threaten … the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons," he said in a televised address. Clinton warned of "an unholy axis of terrorists, drug traffickers and organized international criminals," adding, "there is no more clear example of this threat than Saddam Hussein."

When al Qaeda terrorists hijacked U.S. commercial airliners and flew them into the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon, killing over 3,000 innocent people, Hussein's reckless behavior was cast in a stark new light. He praised al Qaeda's actions and gave its members refuge in his country. One year after the September 11 attacks, President George W. Bush addressed the U.N., calling for action to disarm Iraq. He pointed to Hussein's failure to disclose information about its nuclear program, its employment of capable scientists and technicians, and reports in Iraq's state-controlled media of several meetings between Hussein and nuclear scientists. Bush also cited proof that Hussein had recently tried several times to buy high-strength aluminum tubes used to build nuclear weapons. Hussein had operated in secrecy for four years, and there was no reason to believe he had given up his WMD ambitions.

Within weeks, the U.S. Congress overwhelmingly approved the use of force against Iraq. In November, the U.N. Security Council unanimously found Iraq in material breach of its obligations, and vowed "serious consequences" if it did not fully and immediately disarm.

Hussein stalled military action by allowing weapons inspections and submitting documentation of his compliance with U.N. demands, which the U.S. called "a 12,200-page lie." In January 2003, U.N. inspectors uncovered documents at the homes of two Iraqi nuclear physicists detailing Hussein's recent, undisclosed efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Elsewhere, they found 12 chemical warheads designed to carry chemical and biological weapons. Iraq claimed it had destroyed its stockpiles of the deadly nerve agent VX, but provided no proof. The U.N. believed Iraq had stockpiles of VX, mustard gas and other chemical agents, and found proof that Iraq was rebuilding and expanding its chemical weapons facilities.

In March 2003, 12 years of diplomacy with a brutal dictator came to an end. When a few members of the U.N. Security Council said they would veto a resolution supporting the invasion of Iraq, the U.S. led a coalition of 54 countries (16 more than the Gulf War coalition) to war. "The United Nations Security Council has not lived up to its responsibilities," Bush said, "so we will rise to ours." Within weeks, the coalition removed Hussein's regime from power.

When the coalition invaded Iraq in 2003, U.N. resolutions authorizing the U.S. and its allies to use force to rid Iraq of WMD were still in effect. Indeed, the Gulf War never really ended, and the United States continued to spend $1 billion a year on military intervention in Iraq. The U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia, needed only to contain Hussein, led to anti-American sentiments among radical fundamentalists such as Osama bin Laden. America chose not to begin military engagement in Iraq, but to bring it to an end by removing Hussein's regime.

By threatening Hussein with "serious consequences" but never following through, the U.N. undermined its own credibility. World leaders founded the U.N. after the unchecked aggression of Adolph Hitler resulted in World War II. Part of its purpose is to confront violent dictators before they inflict widespread atrocities. By refusing to force Iraq to disarm, the U.N. failed to meet one of its fundamental missions. The United States acted to protect its own national security. A U.S. president should not endanger U.S. citizens to appease the objections of a few nations that do not face the same threats.

International law allows for "anticipatory self-defense." Pre-emptive actions were taken by President Kennedy during the Cuban missile crisis, and by President Reagan in Granada and Libya. The U.S. enforced the U.N. cease-fire agreement in Iraq so that it wouldn't have to fight a war in U.S. cities.

Other nations have WMD capabilities, but Hussein's regime was unique in its willingness to use them. Hussein's WMD record spanned 30 years and is well documented. In 1982, Iraq used WMD against Iran, and between 1983 and 1988, it launched at least 10 different chemical attacks against Iranian and Kurdish people, resulting in tens of thousands of casualties. In May 2003, there were thousands of abandoned nuclear sites in Iraq containing spent reactor fuel and radioactive isotopes, which could be used to make "dirty bombs." The Bush administration did not exaggerate or dream up Hussein's WMD capability, citing evidence collected by the Clinton administration, the U.N. and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The U.S. has collected detailed, conclusive evidence of a relationship between Hussein and al Qaeda that began before the Gulf War and continued until mid-March 2003. Hussein sought al Qaeda's assistance in getting weapons and equipment into Iraq, and Iraq provided al Qaeda with training in chemical and conventional warfare. Hussein's relationship with al Qaeda grew deeper throughout Iraq's standoff with the U.N. A 1999 "Newsweek" article detailed Hussein's plans to destabilize the region through terrorism and ultimately "bully or cajole Muslim countries into breaking the embargo against Iraq, without waiting for the United Nations to lift it formally." Iraq and al Qaeda had a common enemy in the United States, and they shared a willingness to inflict widespread carnage to achieve their goals. Unchecked, they could bring about the ultimate nightmare: a sudden biological, chemical or nuclear attack that could kill tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people in a single day.

Rather than standing by and waiting for tragedy, the U.S.-led coalition removed Hussein's outlaw regime from Iraq. In doing so, it eliminated the imminent threat posed by Hussein, his WMD program, and his ties to international terrorists. An al Qaeda member remarked that the September 2001 attacks were "the beginning of the end of America." Hussein was helping al Qaeda in that mission.

Today, the Iraqi people no longer live under a brutal dictatorship. A November 2003 poll showed that two-thirds of Americans supported the military action the United States took to remove Hussein from power. Most Americans understand that inaction would have carried a heavy price.

1. According to the author, what role did Saddam Hussein's failure to meet U.N. obligations play in provoking the second Gulf War?
2. What role did President Clinton's change in policy toward Iraq play in setting the stage for the second Gulf War?
3. In your opinion, is it the obligation of member nations of the U.N. to enforce U.N. sanctions when the U.N. "has not lived up to its responsibilities"? Why or why not?
4. Discuss which of the author's reasons for removing Saddam Hussein seems most persuasive.
5. Discuss which of the author's reasons for removing Saddam Hussein seems least persuasive.

Periodicals

Hayes, Stephen F. "Case Closed." The Weekly Standard 9.11 (24 November 2003). Online. The Weekly Standard. 24 November 2003.

"Republic of Iraq." Background Notes on Countries of the World (February 2003): 18p. Online. EBSCO. 26 October 2003.

Websites

Clinton: Iraq Has Abused Its Last Chance. CNN.com. 26 October 2003. <http://www.cnn.com/US/9812/16/clinton.iraq.speech/>.

Finish the War. Liberate Iraq. The Wall Street Journal. 26 October 2003. <http://www.opinionjournal.com/editorial/feature.html?id+110002252>.

If Bush, Powell & Rumsfeld "Lied" on WMD, So Did the UN, EU & Clinton. The Rush Limbaugh Show. 26 October 2003. <http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/cold/if%26lowbar;bush%26lowbar;lied.member.html>.

Meeting the Challenge of the War on Terrorism. The Heritage Foundation. 24 November 2003. <http://www.heritage.org/Research/MiddleEast/HL802.cfm>.

President's Remarks at the United Nations General Assembly. The White House. 26 October 2003. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2002/09/20020912-1.html>.

The Case Against Iraq. The Heritage Foundation. 24 November 2003. <http://heritage.org/Research/MiddleEast/wm227.cfm?renderforprint=1>.

"Why We Know Iraq Is Lying," A Column By Dr. Condoleeza Rice. The White House. 26 October 2003. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/01/2003030123-1.html>.

• These essays and any opinions, information or representations contained therein are the creation of the particular author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of EBSCO Publishing.

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By Kris Clouthier