US ponders fate of Iraqi people in aftermath of attack
“We cannot afford to replace a despot with chaos,” said Senator Joseph Biden. “The long-suffering Iraqi people need to know a regime change would benefit them.
“So do Iraq’s neighbours, and the American people will want that assurance as well.”
Mr Biden’s comments came as the committee held a second day of hearings looking at what is likely to happen if the US succeeds in driving Saddam from power.
The committee earlier heard experts predict that in such a scenario, the US would probably have to spend billions keeping Iraq stable and soldiers may have to be stationed in the Gulf region for years.
Meanwhile, Iraqi media yesterday said Saddam’s air force chief told the dictator his forces were ready to fight and win if the US invades.
Saddam met with Lt Gen Hamid Rija Shilah and other top air force officers on Wednesday to discuss plans to enhance their fighting capabilities, al-Iraq newspaper reported. During the meeting, Shilah declared “the air force fighters’ readiness to confront and defeat the aggressors if they dare to approach our territories”.
A number of analysts agree Baghdad must be stopped from developing biological, chemical or even nuclear weapons. But there were differences about whether a US military invasion was the solution.
General Tommy Franks, who oversees the war in Afghanistan and would command any invasion of Iraq, said it was not the time to discuss war plans.
“I think all of the speculation is not helpful with respect to Afghanistan or any of the other issues,” he said.
Richard Butler, former chief UN arms inspector in Iraq, urged the US and Russia to make another joint effort to get Iraq to agree to weapons inspections. Inspectors have been barred since 1998. Others warned that, if attacked, Saddam would probably unleash his weapons of mass destruction.
And any invasion and long-term US presence would also be widely unpopular in the Arab world.
“Even if the Iraqi people have a happy outcome, I believe that most people in the region will see this as American imperialism,” said Shibley Telhami of the University of Maryland.
