Volume 2 Issue
33 Volume 2 Issue
33If They Break This
Horn Will It Grow Back?
By Randy Loudenslager
Apparently President Bush's tough stand against Iraq is beginning to pay off. There has been an overall softening of rhetoric about military action against Iraq. Saddam Hussein himself has written UN Secretary General Kofi Annan expressing his desire to allow UN humanitarian monitors into Iraq and to start new dialogue with the UN about weapons inspections. It is not likely that Saddam is acting sincerely if his past is any indication.
Bush has made it clear that America is determined to move against the Iraqi dictator with alliance support or not and the question is no longer if but how. Senior White House officials have leaked information that suggests that at least clandestine actions are already in the works and assessments are being made of opposition group needs, suggesting a pattern of operation similar to that of the U.S. role in Afghanistan. There the U.S. provided air support and special operations troops while Northern Alliance troops did the bulk of the ground fighting against the Taliban. Nobody is pretending that the task will be an easy one and all eventualities are being weighed, including the possible launch of mass destruction weapons by a pressed and desperate Saddam Hussein. Unlike Afghanistan it is projected that a force of 200,000 American ground troops will be needed and more extensive casualties than the Desert Storm conflict are expected.
Saddam's military is a much smaller one than the one engaged by coalition forces in 1991, but it is a force that is better trained, more mobile and better equipped with modern weaponry. It is assumed that Hussein is tolerating the control by American and British air power of the forced no fly zones in order not to expose his latest Chinese and Russian manufactured anti-aircraft capabilities. Americans also underestimate the loyalty Saddam enjoys from the Iraqi people. Will the Iraqi people be open to a forcible overthrow of their government and its replacement by a pro-western government? Also to be considered is the fact that Saddam is not perceived to be as evil outside of America as he is within the superpower. Germany and France for instance, regularly sell Iraq cross materials. Cross materials are materials that can be used for either sophisticated commercial or military applications. The U.S. argues that such sales nullify sanctions against weapon sales to Iraq. Coupled with arms sales and training from Russia and China and it becomes easy to see that the UN imposed sanctions have done little to stymie Iraq's military upgrade. There is no argument that the man is a danger and must be dealt with, but caution is prudent, Iraq has a friend in Russia who will be allied together with her in the last days against the king of the south and Israel. Russia has repeatedly warned the U.S. not to attack Iraq. We must also remember that to millions of adherents of Islam Saddam Hussein is a hero. They would be unified if Hussein were to survive this challenge and may destabilize other Arab states presently friendly to the United States. Remember to pray for understanding, things will happen in the last days that we could not have imagined. The battle belongs to the LORD, pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Come LORD Jesus!