I've Been Wondering About This

One of the most confusing things to me about Iraq was this incongruency: If Hussein did not have nuke and bio/chem weapons programs, why wouldn't he just let the inspectors verify that? It is largely because he refused to give them free reign, and generally screwed with them while they were there, that made me think it likely that he had something to hide.

Either that, or he was a sadistic madman, because why would you risk all out war, and the deaths of tens of thousands?

As it turns out, it may simply have been the macho need to be perceived as 'tough'. From The Christian Science Monitor:

The reason Hussein gave up his weapons program, the report concludes, is that the UN-sponsored embargo of oil exports denied him the billions and billions of dollars needed to keep them going. But in order to maintain prestige among Arabs and deter another war with Iran, Hussein kept secret for many years that he had abandoned the programs. (Emphasis mine.)

It also appears that the Sanctions prevented him from moving forward with his weapons program by cutting off necessary funding. Lastly, it appears his regime was able to last for these reasons:

He also tried to undermine the sanctions by exploiting the UN's Oil for Food program. He bribed leading figures in the UN, France, China, Russia and elsewhere with oil-export contracts to earn more than $11 billon to keep his regime afloat.

Follow this link: The Christian Science Monitor

fb