IRAQ


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	IRAQ . . . (In chronological order) Know that Baghdad was great in the past but is now falling in ruins (due to civil wars). It is full of troubles, and its glory is gone. I neither approve it nor admire it, and if I praise it, it is mere convention. Fustat of Egypt is today what Baghdad was in the past, and I do not know of any greater city in all Islam. --Al-Muqaddasi (mid- to late 10th century) _Ahsan al-taqalim fi ma'rifat al-aqalim_ (The Best Divisions for Knowledge of the Regions) Many politicians of our time are in the habit of laying it down as a self-evident proposition, that no people ought to be free till they are fit to use their freedom. The maxim is worthy of the fool in the old story who resolved not to go into the water till he had learnt to swim. If men are to wait for liberty till they become wise and good in slavery, they may indeed wait for ever. --Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800—1859) English politician and historian. "Milton" in _Edinburgh Review_ [August 1825] When Iraq becomes strong enough in our opinion to stand alone, we shall be in a position to state that our task has been fulfilled, and that Iraq is an independent sovereign state. But this cannot be said while we are forced year after year to spend very large sums of money on helping the Iraqi government to defend itself and maintain order. --Winston Churchill (1874—1965) British Conservative statesman and Prime Minister [1940—1945, 1951—1955]. 1922 remark cited by Christopher Catherwood, in _Churchill's Folly_, Carroll & Graf [2004]. While a people are gassed, the world is largely silent. There are reasons for this. Iraq's great oil wealth, its military strength, a desire not to upset the delicate negotiations seeking an end to the Iran-Iraq war. Silence, however, is complicity. A half century ago, the world was silent as Hitler began a campaign that culminated in the near extermination of Europe's Jews. We cannot be silent to genocide again. --Senator Claiborne Pell, 1988; in M.J. Cohan and John Major (eds.) _History in Quotations_, pp. 939-40 [2004]. Cohan & Major add: Senator Pell was speaking of the massacre by Saddam Hussein's dictatorship of some 5,000 Kurdish civilians in the township of Halabja in northern Iraq in March 1988 by means of chemicals sprayed from aircraft. His Prevention of Genocide Act was termed 'premature' and 'counter-productive' by a Reagan White House, which had backed Iraq against Iran in the war between them that raged throughout most of the 1980s. Iraq controls some 10 per cent of the world's proven oil reserves. Iraq plus Kuwait controls twice that. An Iraq permitted to swallow Kuwait would have the economic and military power, as well as the arrogance, to intimidate and coerce its neighbors — neighbors who control the lion's share of the world's remaining oil reserves. We cannot permit a resource so vital to be dominated by one so ruthless. And we won't. --George H. W. Bush (b. 1924) American Republican statesman and President [1989—1993]. [11 September 1990] - [On U.S. compassion during the Gulf War, early 1991:] The grotesque carnage of Iraqi solders on the "Highway of Death" shocked our sensibilities, and led to calls to end the Gulf War — only to allow Saddam Hussein to live on to butcher thousands of innocents. [Gen. William] Sherman taught us that such moderation in war is imbecility, and that smug moralizing before absolute victory is achieved — which he called "bottled piety" — in fact gets more, not fewer, killed. --Victor Davis Hanson (b. 1953) American military historian and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. _An Autumn Of War: What America Learned ..._ [2002] & note: Now, philanthropists may easily imagine there is a skillful method of disarming and overcoming an enemy without great bloodshed, and that this is the proper tendency of the Art of War. However plausible this may appear, still it is an error which must be extirpated; for in such dangerous things as War, the errors which proceed from a spirit of benevolence are the worst. --Karl von Clausewitz (1780—1831) Prussian soldier and military theorist. _On War_ [1832] & note: To carry the spirit of peace into war is a weak and cruel policy. When an extreme case calls for that remedy which is in its own nature most violent, and which, in such cases, is a remedy only because it is violent, it is idle to think of mitigating and diluting. Languid war can do nothing which negotiation or submission will not do better; and to act on any other principle is, not to save blood and money, but to squander them. --Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800—1859) English politician and historian. _Hallem_ [1828] - - On Thursday afternoon, February 28th, about six hours after the U.S. declared a cease-fire, the victorious armies began to roll into Kuwait City. The Arab contingents were firing their guns in the air and the Kuwaiti Resistance fighters responded by firing their guns in the air and then the other Kuwaitis picked up all the leftover Iraqi guns and started firing these in the air, too. People were singing, dancing, clapping their hands and beating on car horns. The women began their eerie ululation, that fluttering liquid animal sound made somewhere in the back of the throat, and the women's kids joined in with a more familiar plain screaming of heads off. An impromptu parade was begun past the American embassy, but there really wasn't anyplace else that the crowd wanted to parade to so the parade turned in ever tightening circles in front of the embassy and finally just stopped and became a crowd. The crowd yelled, "George Push! George Push! George Push!" Someone had already spray-painted "Thank you for George Push" across the American embassy wall, and the "P" had been carefully crossed out and the spelling corrected. ... A lot of people were crying, and I was one of them. A young Kuwaiti came out of the crowd and he was crying, and he grabbed me by my notebook and, with that immense earnestness that you only have an excuse for two or three times in your life and usually that's when your mother is dying, he said, "You write we would like to thank every man in the allied force. Until one hundred years we cannot thank them. What they do is . . . is. . . " — words failed him — ". . . is America." --P.J. O'Rourke (b. 1947) American political satirist. _Give War a Chance_ [1992], "Kuwait City" - - About six million barrels of oil, weighing roughly a million tons, around 10% of the world's daily oil ration, are going up in smoke every day from the 500 Kuwait wells set afire by Iraqi occupiers. ... Joel S. Levine of NASA, an authority on biomass burning [said that] ... the Kuwaiti well fires were "the most intense burning source, probably, in the history of the world." --Tom Wicker (b. 1926) American journalist. "Smoke Over Kuwait" in _New York Times_ [3 March 1991]. - Now, let's imagine the future. What if he [Saddam Hussein] fails to comply and we fail to act or we take some ambiguous third route which gives him yet more opportunities to develop this program of weapons of mass destruction? Well, he will conclude that the international community has lost its will. He will then conclude that he can go right on and do more to rebuild an arsenal of devastating destruction. And someday, some way, I guarantee you, he will use the arsenal. --Bill (William Jefferson) Clinton (b. 1946) American Democratic statesman and president [1993—2001]. _Meet the Press_ [17 February 1998] Iraq is a long way from [here], but what happens there matters a great deal here. For the risks that the leaders of a rogue state will use nuclear, chemical or biological weapons against us or our allies is the greatest security threat we face. --Madeline Albright (b. 1937) Czech-born American who was the first woman to become United States Secretary of State [1997—2001]. Town Hall Meeting, Ohio State University [18 February 1998] He [Saddam Hussein] will use those weapons of mass destruction again, as he has ten times since 1983. --Sandy Berger (b. 1945) Clinton National Security Adviser to the Clinton Administration. Remark of 18 February 1998, quoted in Norman Podhoretz _World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism_ [2007]. We urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs. --Closing paragraph of letter to President Clinton, signed by Senators Carl Levin, Tom Daschle, John Kerry, et al., [9 October 1998]. - Saddam (Hussein) must not be allowed to threaten his neighbors or the world with nuclear arms, poison gas or biological weapons.... Along with Prime Minister (Tony) Blair of Great Britain, I made it equally clear that if Saddam failed to cooperate fully we would be prepared to act without delay, diplomacy or warning. ... Instead of inspectors disarming Saddam, Saddam has disarmed the inspectors. ... I gave Saddam a chance — not a license. If we turn our backs on his defiance, the credibility of U.S. power as a check against Saddam will be destroyed. If Saddam can cripple the weapons inspections system and get away with it, he would conclude the international community, led by the United States, has simply lost its will. He would surmise that he has free rein to rebuild his arsenal of destruction. The best way to end that threat once and for all is with a new Iraqi government — a government ready to live in peace with its neighbors, a government that respects the rights of its people. Saddam Hussein and the other enemies of peace may have thought that the serious debate currently before the House of Representatives would distract Americans or weaken our resolve to face him down. But once more, the United States has proven that although we are never eager to use force, when we must act in America's vital interests, we will do so. --Bill (William Jefferson) Clinton (b. 1946) American Democratic statesman and president [1993—2001]. Announcing airstrikes against Iraq [16 December 1998]. - Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process. --Nancy Pelosi (b. 1940) First woman Speaker of the United States House of Representatives. Speech [16 December 1998], quoted in Vincent Bzdek _Woman of the House: The Rise of Nancy Pelosi_ [2008]. Hussein has ... chosen to spend his money on building weapons of mass destruction and palaces for his cronies. --Madeline Albright (b. 1937) Czech-born American who was the first woman to become United States Secretary of State [1997-2001]. Remark of 10 November 1999, quoted in Helen Cothran _Nuclear Security_ [2001]. The world's most wanted man, Osama bin Laden, has been offered sanctuary in Iraq if his worldwide terrorist network succeeds in carrying out a campaign of high-profile attacks on the West. --_The Herald_ (Glasgow, Scotland) [28 December 1999] There is no doubt that ... Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to redefine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer-range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies. --Bob Graham (b. 1936) American politician. Letter to President Bush [6 December 2001]. - All the world now faces a test, and the United Nations a difficult and defining moment. Are Security Council resolutions to be honored and enforced, or cast aside without consequence? Will the United Nations serve the purpose of its founders or will it be irrelevant? --George W. Bush (b. 1946) The 43rd President of the United States and a former Governor of Texas. Speech to the U.N. General Assembly [12 September 2002], quoted in M.J. Cohan and John Major (eds.) _History in Quotations_, p. 939 [2004]. Cohan & Major note: Bush was making the point that Iraq had failed to respond adequately to every UN resolution passed in the 1990s. The United Nations now had the chance to enforce its will on Saddam Hussein; if it did not do so, he declared that the United States and its associates would take unilateral military action against Iraq. & note: The Security Council ... 1. Decides that Iraq has been and remains in material breach of its obligations under relevant resolutions ... 9. Demands ... that Iraq cooperate immediately, unconditionally, and actively with UNMOVIC and the IAEA [the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency] ... 13. Recalls ... that the Council has repeatedly warned Iraq that it will face serious consequences as a result of its continued violation of its obligations. --United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 [8 November 2002] - We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandates of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them. --Carl Levin (b. 1934) American politician. [19 September 2002] Quoted in Stuart Croft _Culture, Crisis and America's War on Terror [2006]. - Our national security requires Congress to send a clear message to Iraq and the world: America is united in its determination to eliminate forever the threat of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction. ... Congress needs to act now to make clear to our U.N. allies and to Iraq that the United States will not stand for the usual half- measures or delaying tactics. ... Here's what I believe the resolution should say. First and foremost, it should clearly endorse the use of all necessary means to eliminate the threat posed by Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction. Second, the resolution should call for an effort to rally the international community under a U.N. Security Council mandate. ... [but] we must not tie our own hands by requiring Security Council action. Congress should authorize the United States to act with whatever allies will join us if the Security Council is prevented from supporting action to enforce the more than 16 resolutions against Iraq. ... Thousands of terrorist operatives around the world would pay anything to get their hands on Saddam Hussein's arsenal and would stop at nothing to use it against us. America must act, and Congress must make clear to Hussein that he faces a united nation. --John Edwards (b. 1953) American politician. _Washington Post_ op-ed piece [19 September 2002], excerpt as quoted in "Scrapbook", _The Weekly Standard_ [18 October 2004]. - Iraq's search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to completely deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power. We know he has stored secret supplies of biological and chemical weapons throughout his country. --Al Gore (b. 1948) American politician. [23 September 2002]. We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction. --Ted Kennedy (1932—2009) American politician. [27 September 2002] The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retains some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capabilities. Intelligence reports indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons ... --Robert Byrd (1917—2010) American politician. [3 October 2002], quoted in Norman Podhoretz _World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism_ [2007]. We do know that Iraq has weaponized thousands of gallons of anthrax and other deadly biological agents. We know that Iraq maintains stockpiles of some of the world's deadliest chemical weapons, including VX, sarin and mustard gas. We know that Iraq is developing deadlier ways to deliver these horrible weapons, including unmanned drones and long-range ballistic missiles. And we know that Saddam Hussein is committed to one day possessing nuclear weapons. If that should happen, instead of simply bullying the Gulf region, he could dominate it. Instead of threatening only his neighbors, he would become a grave threat to U.S. security and to global security. The threat posed by Saddam Hussein may not be imminent. But it is real. It is growing. And it cannot be ignored. --Tom Daschle (b. 1947) American politician. Quoted in Congressional Record [10 October 2002]. I do not believe this is a rush to war. I believe it is a march to peace and security. For two decades Saddam Hussein has relentlessly pursued weapons of mass destruction. There is a broad agreement that he retains chemical and biological weapons, the means to manufacture those weapons and modified Scud missiles. --Joe Biden (b. 1942) American politician. In Senate debate, October 2002. - There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years. ... We should also remember that we have always underestimated the progress Saddam Hussein has made in development of weapons of mass destruction. [ . . . ] But I also believe that after September 11th, the question is increasingly outdated. It is in the nature of these weapons and the way they are targeted against civilian populations, the documented capability and demonstrated intent may be the only warning we get. To insist on further evidence could put some of our fellow Americans at risk. Can we afford to take that chance? We cannot. --Jay Rockefeller (b. 1937) American politician. Speech [10 October 2002]. - We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction. --Bob Graham (b. 1936) American politician. [8 December 2002] Without question, we need to disarm Saddam Hussein. He is a brutal, murderous dictator, leading an oppressive regime ... He presents a particularly grievous threat because he is so consistently prone to miscalculation ... And now he is miscalculating America's response to his continued deceit and his consistent grasp for weapons of mass destruction ... So the threat of Saddam Hussein with weapons of mass destruction is real ... --John F. Kerry (b. 1943) American politician. [23 January 2003] - The dictator who is assembling the world's most dangerous weapons has already used them on whole villages — leaving thousands of his own citizens dead, blind, or disfigured. Iraqi refugees tell us how forced confessions are obtained — by torturing children while their parents are made to watch. International human rights groups have catalogued other methods used in the torture chambers of Iraq: electric shock, burning with hot irons, dripping acid on the skin, mutilation with electric drills, cutting out tongues, and rape. If this is not evil, then evil has no meaning. And tonight I have a message for the brave and oppressed people of Iraq: Your enemy is not surrounding your country — your enemy is ruling your country. And the day he and his regime are removed from power will be the day of your liberation. --George W. Bush (b. 1946) The 43rd President of the United States and a former Governor of Texas. State of the Union Address [28 January 2003]. - - Commentary in the _Wall Street Journal_ [30 January 2003] [...] The Iraqi regime and its weapons of mass destruction represent a clear threat to world security. This danger has been explicitly recognized by the U.N. All of us are bound by Security Council Resolution 1441, which was adopted unanimously. We Europeans have since reiterated our backing for Resolution 1441, our wish to pursue the U.N. route, and our support for the Security Council at the Prague NATO Summit and the Copenhagen European Council. [...] The combination of weapons of mass destruction and terrorism is a threat of incalculable consequences. It is one at which all of us should feel concerned. Resolution 1441 is Saddam Hussein's last chance to disarm using peaceful means. The opportunity to avoid greater confrontation rests with him. Sadly this week the U.N. weapons inspectors have confirmed that his long-established pattern of deception, denial and non-compliance with U.N. Security Council resolutions is continuing. Europe has no quarrel with the Iraqi people. Indeed, they are the first victims of Iraq's current brutal regime. Our goal is to safeguard world peace and security by ensuring that this regime gives up its weapons of mass destruction. Our governments have a common responsibility to face this threat. Failure to do so would be nothing less than negligent to our own citizens and to the wider world. The U.N. Charter charges the Security Council with the task of preserving international peace and security. To do so, the Security Council must maintain its credibility by ensuring full compliance with its resolutions. We cannot allow a dictator to systematically violate those resolutions. If they are not complied with, the Security Council will lose its credibility and world peace will suffer as a result. We are confident that the Security Council will face up to its responsibilities. Messrs. Aznar, Durao Barroso, Berlusconi, Blair, Medgyessy, Miller and Fogh Rasmussen are, respectively, the prime ministers of Spain, Portugal, Italy, the U.K., Hungary, Poland and Denmark. Mr. Havel is the Czech president. - I think all of our governments believe that Iraq has produced weapons of mass destruction and that we have to assume that they continue to have weapons of mass destruction. --Wolfgang Ischinger German ambassador to the U.S.. In an interview with Katie Couric on the "Today" show [26 February 2003.] end page \| IDAHO - IDIOTS \| IDLENESS - ILLEGAL ALIENS \| ILLNESS - IMMATURITY \| IMMIGRATION & IMMORALITY \| IMMORTALITY - IMPOSTORS \| IMPRESSIONABLE - INDECISION \| INDEPENDENCE - INDIANA \| INDIFFERENCE - INDIVIDUALITY \| INDOCTRINATION - INFORMATION \| INGRATITUDE - INNOVATION \| INNUENDO - INSPIRATION \| INSULTS - INTEGRITY \| INTELLECTUALS - INTENTIONS \| INTERESTED(ING) - INTUITION \| INVENTIONS - ITALY \| IRAQ \| ISLAM \| JAIL - JOGGING \| JOHNSON (LYNDON) - JOY \| JOURNALISM \| JUDGE (TO) - JUSTICE \| \| H \| I - J \| K - L \| M \| N - O \| P - Q \| \| Return Home \| The Credits \| The Cast \| Act 1 \| Act 2 \| Act 3 \| The Reviews \|