The Gulf War Investigations

By killing each other, I am referring to the Presidential commission that has been investigating the Gulf War and the phenomenon known as "Gulf War syndrome." This week, that committee will present a report to President Clinton stating that there is substantial evidence that the Pentagon covered up and ignored evidence that thousands of Marines were exposed to poison gas and other agents in their assault across the deserts. It may sound like something from the X-Files, but sometimes truth is stranger (and sadder) than fiction. Is our government capable of putting the lives and health of our own soldiers in jeopardy in order to preserve the image of our total victory? It seems that they are indeed.

And what of the thorough ass-whipping we handed Saddam and Iraq? Many people, including myself, thought that not capturing Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was the worst move of the short little war. Indeed, he really lost nothing besides the little nugget of land called Kuwait, and some junky SCUD missiles. And now, not long after we "won," he is already flexing his muscles again. This time Saddam is forcing U.S. weapons inspectors to leave his country without completing their U.N. sanctioned inspections. It has been reported that the inspectors were on the verge of finding a massive stockpile of chemical and biological weapons, which are not only very nasty and potent but are also heavily prohibited by U.N. and international arms treaties.

The most recent development in this saga is the threat Hussein is now waving to the U.S. He has threatened to shoot down the U.S. surveillance planes that routinely fly over Baghdad, an act that he has the missile capability to perform. The Pentagon has not announced what it plans to do about this prospect, although it has been speculated that the military will send fighter escorts along with the U-2 reconnaissance planes. In addressing the threat U.S. ambassador to the U.N., Bill Richardson, responded by saying, "We consider that irresponsible and unacceptable, and a direct aggressive act against the U.N."

One thing to consider about this standoff is the involvement of NATO in the whole scheme. Recently, there have been proposals to expand NATO to three new countries: Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Now, the Soviet Union is no more, but both Russia and America still have weapons and arms, and we watch each other with a wary eye. So, it is not surprising that the possible addition of these countries to NATO would worry Russia considerably. After all, it looks like NATO is surrounding the former U.S.S.R., and having a hostile army knocking at our border is something no country wants.

All this forces Russia to look elsewhere for allies, and that place is the Middle East in some cases. Russia has traditionally had ties with Iran and, you guessed it, Iraq. Many of the weapons used by Iraq in the Gulf War were Russian-designed and built, then sold to Iraq for a handsome profit. And, as NATO grows bigger and more powerful, Russia will try its best to keep up by aligning themselves with other countries. If war ever breaks out, it could be like another Vietnam, with each side supplying its smaller allies with weapons and supplies to keep the fighting going.