Special MERIP Publication Why Another War? A Backgrounder on the Iraq Crisis
As George W. Bush's administration seeks a UN resolution threatening "consequences" for Iraqi non-cooperation with toughened weapons inspections, US-led military intervention to remove Saddam Hussein's regime appears to be a likely denouement to the crisis. While Bush claims that "America speaks with one voice" on the urgent need to topple Hussein, demonstrations across the country show that much of the US public has not accepted the administration's case for war.
In a concise primer published by the Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP), Sarah Graham-Brown, author of Sanctioning Saddam (1999), and Chris Toensing, editor of Middle East Report, offer answers to the major questions swirling around the Iraq crisis of 2002.
Does Saddam Hussein's regime pose a "mortal threat" to the US and Iraq's neighbors? How have sanctions imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait affected ordinary Iraqis? How has the Iraqi regime stayed in power despite its defeat in the Gulf war and a decade of sanctions? Has the US attempted to end the 12-year confrontation between Iraq and the UN through peaceful diplomacy? What drives the Bush administration's policy of "regime change"?
MERIP's Iraq backgrounder is available online at: http://www.merip.org
Ideal for use in classrooms and at teach-ins or special events, MERIP's Iraq backgrounder is also available in print at no charge. To order copies or for further information, contact MERIP at ctoensing at merip.org or call (202) 223-3677.
--+--- Press Information Notes are a free service of the Middle East Research and Information Project (MERIP). -- Yoshie
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