The U.S. government was never interested in working with the UN inspectors and did not provide them with useful intelligence. UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix has questioned US intentions regarding inspections. Blix stated that "I somewhat doubt that when (the Security Council) got the resolution last November they really intended to give under three-and-a-half months for inspections." Furthormore, Blix states, "We did not have any obstacles from the Iraqi side in going anywhere. They gave us prompt access and we were in a great many places all over Iraq" (BBC News). Blix questioned the information passed on to the inspection teams from US intelligence service.
The fact is that if they had been given a real chance, inspections would likely have been successful. According to the Washington Post, referring to the 1991-1998 inspection period: "[U]nder UN supervision, Iraq destroyed 817 of 819 proscribed medium-range missiles, 14 launchers, 9 trailers and 56 fixed missile-launch sites. It also destroyed 73 of 75 chemical or biological warheads and 163 warheads for conventional explosives. UN inspectors also supervised destruction of 88,000 filled and unfilled chemical munitions, more than 600 tons of weaponized and bulk chemical weapons agents, 4,000 tons of precursor chemicals and 980 pieces of equipment considered key to production of such weapons." The UN inspections did not fail; the US failed the UN inspections by not allowing it to proceed.
One of the major justifications given for the war has been the notion that it will foster the spread of democracy in the region. But as the Los Angeles Times reports, "A classified State Department report expresses doubt that installing a new regime in Iraq will foster the spread of democracy in the Middle East.... The report, which has been distributed to a small group of top government officials but not publicly disclosed, says that daunting economic and social problems are likely to undermine basic stability in the region for years, let alone prospects for democratic reform." Given the US government's history of supporting undemocratic and oppressive regimes, it seems unlikely that democracy will flourish under an American installed Iraqi government.
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I've been reading about Rachel Corrie, the American activist killed March 16 in Rafah, Gaza Strip by an Israeli military bulldozer. She was in the Gaza Strip as a member of the International Solidarity Movement, a Palistinian organization that organizes non-violent resistance to the Israeli occupation. She was attempting to save a Palestinian family's house from demolition by using her "white person privilege" by placing her body in front of the bulldozer. Corrie's parents have released emails she sent them from Gaza. They provide a stark picture of life there and an explanation of why and what she was doing there.
