Saddam is still in power essays

Saddam is still in power essays A decade passed on and Saddam is still in power. Economic sanctions, containments, no-fly zones, organizing opposition groups and attempts to stir up coups have all failed to loosen Saddams grip on power. Instead the tactics that have been used to oust Saddam since 1991 have created an Iraq that will be a source of instability in the middles east for years to come. First, the Bush administrations basic goal after the Gulf War was to overthrow Saddam. (Using post-war constraints, like sanctions and no-fly zones.) They aimed at keeping the regime weak to promote Saddams overthrow. The question always was what were the risks in leaving Saddam in power versus the risk in ousting him. Bush believed that Saddam (Sooner or later) would be overthrown in a coup making it time for new leader and a new beginning. And if this didnt happen then the Bush administration was prepared to overthrow him by other means. However, this did not happen because Clinton changed that policy. The policy toward Iraq basically consisted of maintaining sanction rather than actually making an effort to overthrow Saddam. If saddam Hussein were overthrown Iraq could break up as a result of civil war or more radical regime could rise. If the US had managed to kill saddam, his replacement could be even more virulently anti-US then he is. The US could have brought in one of the leaders of opposition outside Iraq, but there is no guarantee that such person would get any support from the Iraqi people. Since he is backed by the west, which undermines his credibility within Iraq. Another reason for not overthrowing saddam is the risk that Iran or Syria could have filled the power vacuum and both of them are not pro US. Therefore, the US could have unintentionally contributed to Irans strength, including getting access to Iraqs oil wealth. The US was hoping that the sanctions would cause an internal rebellion against ...