Cowboy Tactics (Bombs over Baghdad)

Member Name: Alindrail

Product:	Bombs over Baghdad
Date:	23/02/01 (9 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Puts Iraq back in the news

Disadvantages: Too many to lise

You have to wonder what Bush is thinking? Actually... no that's not too hard. Daddy did it so I'll do it too... and it represents my new approach to foreign policy - hard on anything that we don't really like, or don't really understand. What is really disgraceful is the UK's involvement in this debacle. The Americans... you can't really expect more, but the UK should have more sense. Winding up Europe is not the best idea at this time.

The point is that the strikes re-focused attention on Iraq, for no real purpose. This will not lead to the removal of sanctions. The world is not satisfied that Iraq has no WMDs. UNSCOM needs to be sent back in, but the message should be simple to Iraq: full access, full clearing, and then the sanctions will be removed.

It is clear now that the Iraqi people are incapable of rising up against Saddam, so we no longer need the sanctions, but to simply remove them would be a sign to Saddam that he had won, and he would use that to his full advantage. The other nations in the area wouldn't accept it unless they can be shown beyond reasonable doubt that there are no WMDs in Iraq.

It is disgraceful that the US & UK undertook this action without consultation with the UN or even the General Secretary (the mandate for ANY action on Iraq territory) or even NATO. A reprisal that needs further explanation than has been given, and should have been backed with action within diplomatic circles. This is not the way to solve the problem, so a new one must be found - the bombing could have been used as a new momentum in international politics to get this process moving and resolved some 10 years after it started.

Clean up the mess.

Summary: