The Aftermath...What aftermath

One should be prepared to read this report on Iraq following the 1991 Gulf campaign as it is not that clear cut as I thought and many other folk as well no doubt. Why Saddam was singled out must be looked at very carefully. Everybody now knows supposedly that it was because Kuwait was accused of slant drilling for oil in Iraq. This seems be true regardless of whether Saddam was considered a tyrant (I myself think he was) but it was also because Kuwait was a British protectorate; they still may be but I have noticed how the Brits and the American governments have always seemed to ally their selves with Moslem countries. Look at Saudi Arabia and the US government but the thing you have to ask yourselves is why; why all this. I personally think Saddam was an acute embarrassment to these two countries. In Iraq after Operation Desert Storm, in 1991, Saddam Hussein continued to receive and give credence to optimistic assessments of his regime’s prospects dished up by his top military officers. Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz described the dictator as having been ‘very confident’ that the United States would not dare to attack Iraq, and that if it did, it would be defeated. What was the source of Saddam’s confidence? You may well ask. From what I can glean, the single most important element in Saddam’s calculations was his faith that France and Russia would prevent an invasion by the United States. According to Aziz, Saddam’s confidence was firmly rooted in his belief that between the interests of France and Russia and his own strategic goals: both ‘France and Russia would each secure millions of dollars worth of trade and service contracts in Iraq, with the implied understanding that their political posture with regard to sanctions on Iraq would be pro-Iraqi. In addition, the French wanted sanctions lifted to safeguard their trade and service contracts in Iraq. Moreover, they wanted to prove their importance in the world as members of the Security Council so they could use their veto to show they still had power. Saddam remained convinced that, in his own words, "Iraq will not, in any way, be like Afghanistan. We will not let the war become a picnic for the American or the British soldiers. It appears he was correct after all. The coalition may have in the end won the battle for Bagdad and captured Saddam but lives are still being lost there day after day. The fact is that Iraq now has its own government and all coalition forces should be removed forthwith. The troops will be glad to return home I am sure and I think the average Iraqi for all the publicity photos and media reports we in the west see and read will be glad to see us depart. I must admit I found this article interesting as long as it is. The mind boggles after reading this report I was absolutely amazed to be honest. ---------------------------------