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Oct 9, 2003 The question of "Why are we in Iraq? is best answered by asking another question, "What would have happened if we had NOT occupied Iraq?" Liberals can say that we can't ever know that --- but some outcomes are practically certain. Surely Hans Blix would eventually run out of funding and leave Iraq, empty-handed. And surely the UN would get tired of seeing starving Iraqi children on TV, and the sanctions that prevented oil sales would have to be lifted. Iraq has one of the world's biggest oil reserves, and tons of money would start pouring into Saddam's treasure chest. Judging from what Saddam had done previously (attack Iran, conquer Kuwait, fire Scud rockets at Israel), it is highly probable that Iraq would have spent his piles of oil money on new and improved Scud-type missiles bought from China. Other Islamic countries such as Pakistan and Iran have test-fired rockets such as that, having much longer range than the original Scud. Nowadays, the Chinese are building missiles that can go around the world. In spite of increased trade, China is still a very poor country, with a billion people to feed and rainfall that often comes at the wrong time and place. Does anyone think for a minute that Saddam would NOT have bought longer-range Scuds from China? Judging from Saddam's use of poison gas in the past, and his attempts to make nuclear bombs, it is almost certain that he would have then bought nukes from desperately poor countries such as Pakistan or North Korea, to go with his nice new missiles. And it's pretty easy to make poison gas nowadays --- even a little sect in Japan made it. Growing germs is even easier. Liberals can say that we can't ever know what "would have happened." But here at home, do we release a known murderer from our prisons and let him buy a machine gun because we can't be sure he will kill again? Fantastically powerful weapons are proliferating --- long-range rockets, explosives, anthrax --- things that seem like science fiction, but they are very real. There is no kind of wall we can build around ourselves for protection. We simply have to do what we successfully did in Afghanistan, whenever the danger is obvious, like with Bin Laden, and whenever a preventive action is possible (even if it's difficult and unpleasant). We go out and get 'em, before they get too strong! My CV, if you are curious ------------ Email Daniel J. Shanefield: shanefield@ieee.org Comment on this column in the forum. Tell a friend about this site! ------------ |
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