So who was to blame for the sanctions if not America? We drew the line in the sand about Kuwait in the 1990s. We were the ones who shoved back because it interfered with our interests (like cross-drilling into Iraq to get more oil), and while the UN went along with it, they weren’t exactly wild to go to war the first time. We were the ones who kept the pressure on after the first Gulf War. We were the ones who bombed the country daily during the Clinton years, even though it presented no threat to anyone at the time. They were UN sanctions, yes, but they were definitely “our” sanctions, and the goal was to destabilize Iraq through economic starvation.
Did other countries play a role? Of course. Other countries also play a role in our current war in Iraq, even though it’s very much America’s war, started by American propaganda and the need to assert military strength after 9/11. Sorry to get all Howard Zenn here, but that’s my reading of it.
I think it’s fair to lay the blame for those sanctions and their impact directly on the U.S., as they wouldn’t have happened without our influence.
