Citation:
Abstract:
Should the United States invade Iraq and depose Saddam Hussein? Over the past few months, advocates of war have advanced a number of reasons why toppling Saddam is desirable. He is a bloodthirsty tyrant. He has defied the United Nations on numerous occasions. He has backed terrorists in the past. Removing him will reinforce respect for American power and spark democratic reform in the Middle East. If you're looking for a reason to support a war, in short, there are plenty from which to choose.
Most of these reasons are not convincing, however. True, Saddam is a cruel despot, but plenty of other leaders have bloody hands and we aren't thinking about going after them. Yes, Iraq has defied numerous UN resolutions, but so have a number of other countries and this sin is hardly sufficient justification for war. Granted, Iraq has harbored terrorist organizations in the past, but the groups it has supported do not pose much of a threat to the United States and eliminating Saddam would not eliminate them. A successful war might trigger a wave of democratic reforms in the Arab world, but a bitter anti–American backlash is more likely. If these reasons were the only ones that advocates of war could offer, their campaign would never have gotten off the ground.