Lessons for next time.
The writer assesses the reaction in the Arab world to the U.S. threats to militarily punish Iraq in early 1998 for its obstruction of the activities of UN weapons inspectors. The prevailing perception was that to hold Iraqi president Saddam Hussein responsible for the conditions affecting the entir...
| Published in: | World Today Vol. 54; no. 4; pp. 90 - 93 |
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| Format: | Article |
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Royal Institute of International Affairs
April 1998
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| Online Access: | View this record in EBSCOhost |
| Summary: | The writer assesses the reaction in the Arab world to the U.S. threats to militarily punish Iraq in early 1998 for its obstruction of the activities of UN weapons inspectors. The prevailing perception was that to hold Iraqi president Saddam Hussein responsible for the conditions affecting the entire country had become not only disingenuous but also made the suggestion of a bombing campaign that could kill and injure civilians completely inappropriate and unjust. Only Hussein's removal would have justified the terrible potential devastation, and it is in this respect that Arab reactions to the crisis were complicated by a sub-theme of wishful thinking. |
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