Ought The UK and The USA attack Iraq?
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Introduction
Ought The UK and The USA attack Iraq? I think that the UK and USA should not attack Iraq, at least not on their own. If they were to get the full support of the UN, then possibly an attack of some form should be fought against Iraq, however a full-scale invasion may not be the answer. In the light of experience, there can hardly be any doubt that Saddam Hussein's regime represents a threat to the Middle East region in the medium to long term. On the evidence available it represents no immediate threat. If this is correct, there is no case for military action in the near future: there are several courses of action that can be adopted short of war, and on moral and other grounds, war should be a last resort. Invasion of Iraq would involve the killing of large numbers of innocent Iraqi civilians, as well as large numbers of soldiers on both sides. ...read more.
Middle
Bombings outside the 'no fly zones' such as the December 1998 'Desert Fox' Bombing of Baghdad, have also killed and wounded innocent Iraqis. How can the US be allowed to murder innocent civilians, and claim that it is stopping a rogue dictator. I believe that the USA has already taken it too far and for Iraq there is no going back, they have seen so many people of their nation murdered, so they feel they have to retaliate. Already enough harm has been done to Iraq, the sanctions against Iraq, the most severe ever imposed on any nation, have contributed to the deaths of countless Iraqi civilians and have devastated Iraq's economy. A 1999 UNICEF study of child mortality in Iraq concluded that if pre 1990 trends in child mortality had continued through the 1990s, 500,000 fewer Iraqi children under the age of 5 would have died between 1991 and 1998. Today, it is widely estimated that over 1,500,000 Iraqis have died as a direct result of the deprivation wrought by sanctions. ...read more.
Conclusion
This seems to me to suggest that the USA want an attack on Iraq so badly that they will use any excuse possible to try and justify their cause. Yes Iraq should not be allowed to develop weapons of mass destruction, but this can be resolved by talks and by allowing weapons inspectors into Iraq. In the absence of democratic institutions within Iraq, pressure applied to the Iraqi government in the form of sanctions has not produced democratic change, but has merely worsened the condition of ordinary people. An invasion would involve further destruction of Iraq's infrastructure, already reeling from twelve years of sanctions and bombings, thus weakening the prospects for the creation of stable, democratic institutions in Iraq. Nearly the entire world community is opposed to a US invasion of Iraq. This opposition is in accordance with international law, particularly the UN charter, which prohibits such violations of Iraqi sovereignty. Only the Iraqi people have the sovereign authority to determine what type of government they live under, and how to deal with those who have violated their human rights. O.Armitstead 09/09/02 - 1 - ...read more.
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