Jack Kingston

The findings of a classified overview of chemical munitions found in Iraq since 2003 by the Army’s National Ground Intelligence Center reveals a pattern of systematic deception by Saddam Hussein’s regime. Some of the key findings include the recovery of about 500 shells, canisters and other munitions that contain degraded mustard gas or sarin nerve agent.

Saddam Hussein’s refusal to comply with the 1991 Gulf cease fire agreement and subsequent UN resolutions presented a discernable pattern of behavior with which the United States government was to base the decision on to go to war. The fact that such munitions remain in Iraq show an obvious attempt by Saddam to defy the United Nations and the world at large. Such munitions had been used by the Hussein regime against innocent civilians in the past. Why would anyone believe that such actions would not occur in the future?

Saddam had a personal stake in maintaining his WMD programs as a national strategic goal. According to the Comprehensive Report of the Special Advisor to the DCI on Iraq’s WMD, also known as the 2004 Duelfer Report, “Saddam Hussein so dominated the Iraqi Regime that its strategic intent was his alone. He wanted to end sanctions while preserving the capability to reconstitute his weapons of mass destruction (WMD) when sanctions were lifted.”

The sanctions that were imposed upon Iraq as a result of Saddam’s actions in 1991 were clearly beginning to erode. According to the Duelfer Report, “By 2000-2001, Saddam had managed to mitigate many of the effects of sanctions and undermine their international support.” Following the 1991 Gulf War Saddam actively sought to reconstitute his WMD programs while simultaneously seeking sanctions relief by misleading the UNSCOM and UNMOVIC.

The findings by the Army’s National Ground Intelligence Center reveal that the conclusions made by both American and foreign intelligence organizations–that stockpiles of weapons remain in Iraq–were both sound and accurate.

Saddam’s confidence in the ability to ride out inspections can be seen not only in his irrational and aggressive behavior after 1991, but in the fact that chemical and biological weapons continue to be found in Iraq today.

The dangers that the Saddam regime posed to the world called for immediate and substantive actions. The consequences of inaction would have allowed such a threat to grow and would have only led to a reoccurrence of Saddam’s crimes against humanity.

-milipundit