Originally posted by: Alistar7
Originally posted by: GrGr
Chirac and Putin corrupt? Shocking.
What a disaster that Oil for food program was. Wonder why the US refused to ditch it even when it became obvious that Saddam enriched himself enormously through it (and getting means to buy support) while the Iraqi people died by the hundreds of thousands.
The UN and the people being paid to protect Saddam didn't want it to end, they were making $$$. They also did not want a war to stop the flow of money/oil, which is the only reason they objected to military action. It had nothing to do with the millions of Iraqis who died due to the sanctions and the corruption that was allowed to continue. Those countires had the nerve to state the citizens of Iraq were their concern and hence the reason a war should not be pursued. In reality they were the ones selling them out to the brutal dictator. If you had a shred of insight you would understand France and Russia are seen by the majority of Iraqis as facilitators of Saddam and are far more hated than the US.
This proves the illegitimacy of the UN security council being able to handle it duties in an honorable and ethical fashion. It also shows the reason why support was not given, and the hypocrisy of the objectors.
Your id is right on the money
You still haven't answered my question. Why did the US refuse to ditch the Oil for food programme even when it was evident that it was a disaster?
The fact remains that it was the US and the UK who refused to lift the sanctions.
link The US pressed for the end of the sanctions only when it had taken the whole cake for itself after the invasion. Practically the first thing Pres. Bush did then was to change the trade of Iraqi oil from the ? to the $.
The whole Iraqi thing is a sordid story and none of the major nations can claim a moral highground. There are no heroes in this tale. Bush didn't invade Iraq out of concern for the Iraqi population, he invaded for geostrategical reasons. Why should France, Russia and China support US imperialism? Don't forget that part of why there was no support given from France and Russia was simply that the neocons worked damn hard to ensure that they didn't come on board ("Old Europe", "Freedom Fries" etc.). Also France still happens to be a democracy where the overwhelming majority of the population were opposed to the invasion. In fact France was prepared to support the UN resolution that would have legitimized the US invasion but the neocons bungled the opportunity.
Read this excellent article by James P. Rubin
As for your statement that France and Russia are far more hated than the US for some reason I have a hard time believing that. No doubt the Iraqis have little love for any of these nations. Care to provide a link to support your claim? The Iraqis in fact have a pre-Invasion saying: ?Rah el sani, ija el ussta? ? "Gone is the apprentice [Saddam], in comes the Master [the US]".
The US has always been and remains the most powerful member of the security council. People criticizing the UN tend to overlook the fact that the US has always been the most powerful member of the UN itself. It is no coincidence that the UN headquarter is in the US.
The UN security council is famous for it's hypocrisy I agree. But don't forget that the US has certainly played it's part. You need look no further than the embarrassing list of vetos against various resolutions against Israel.
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