...accidental civilian death, every loss of personnel on the part of the "aggressors". After the rapid and successful drive on and entry into Baghdad, those who rejoiced in the speed and the relatively low civilian casualties of the operation were in their turn accused of gloating. In some cases there was some justice in this also.

Gloating returned on the anti-war side with the outbreak of looting and civil chaos after the seizure of Baghdad, with the ransacking of hospitals and the irreversible losses imposed on the national archaeological museum, comparable only to the destruction of national heritage in China during the Cultural Revolution. Contrary to what one radio commentator claimed, the looting in Baghdad was not worse than that in Berlin in 1945--the systematic looting perpetrated by the Russians was far worse, not to mention their mass rapes, most recently documented in Antony Beevor's book Berlin: The Downfall 1945.

At the time of writing the big question is, where are the weapons of mass destruction? The anti-American gloaters are already claiming, with the help of Saddam's surrendered science adviser, that the whole exercise was misconceived and that no such weapons exist. This may simply be to escape war crimes charges and to be able to say, "Nobody told me". But if there were no weapons of mass destruction, one can only wonder why the Ba'athist regime refused to be frank with the UN inspectors, so bringing on their own destruction. Did they think they could bluff their way through and inflict moral defeat on America by way of the UN Security Council? But then one has to ask why, if indeed these weapons do exist, they were not used against the invaders? Perhaps to this must be added, not yet anyway. The scorpion may not yet be quite dead. And the role of Syria in the whole affair...

NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.



More articles from Quadrant
Alive to the otherworld.(Exemplary Damages)(Book Review)~(book review), May 01, 2003
Defending the unprepared. (Ryan)., May 01, 2003
Any time soon.(Letter to the Editor), May 01, 2003
Strehlow and the Aborigines.(Letter to the Editor), May 01, 2003
Who's afraid of the Brave New World? (Bioethics)., May 01, 2003

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