http://www.nytimes.com/2002/09/20/opinion/20KRIS.html?todaysheadlines
"Rigorous inspections are worth a try, because Saddam is a shrewd survivor. Indeed, it's a tribute to his survival talent that he's outmaneuvered the U.N. and rebuilt Iraq since the gulf war -- and that many Iraqis seem to blame Americans for a decade of sanctions and suffering, rather than him. In any case, there is no longer any sign of war damage, and the bazaars are bustling with Pepsi, Tom-and-Jerry school bags, Barbie coloring books, and 50-cent pirated videodiscs for movies like "Unfaithful," "Rush Hour" and "Snow Dogs." The booming economy (the C.I.A. says the Iraq economy grew 15 percent in 2000) reflects smuggling, illegal oil surcharges and the eclipse of effective sanctions. Indeed, I came in from Damascus on a sanctions-busting flight, which shouldn't exist under the U.N. rules. But it was a Boeing 747, and every seat was full. That's not to say it was smooth: the plane had started down the runway when the crew realized that they had forgotten to close one door. They stopped, closed the door, and then we all chanted "Allahu Akbar" three times and took off. The only hope to avert war is inspections that are completely restructured and greatly empowered. One of the best ideas comes from Corey Hinderstein and David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security: they suggest that Iraqi weapons scientists and their entire families could be taken out of Iraq and interviewed where they would be beyond retaliation. The earlier U.N. inspections have been justly criticized, but for all their weaknesses they did manage to destroy "far more of Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction" than the gulf war itself did, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace reported in March. Really tough and aggressive inspections could do even better and just might be able to neutralize Iraq without a war." Doug _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
