Attack on Iraq.

Why did the U.S. launch air strikes against Iraq?

On February 16, guided missiles from U.S. and British war planes rained down outside Baghdad, the capital of Iraq, lighting up the night sky. The missiles, aimed at five Iraqi air-defense targets, killed two people. It was the largest air strike against Iraq in two years.

Why did the U.S. attack Iraq? The answer lies in the Persian Gulf war (1990-1991). In 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein (sah-DAHM hoo-SANE) invaded the neighboring country of Kuwait, hoping to take over its immense oil wealth.

The United Nations (UN) ordered Iraq out of Kuwait. When Iraq refused, the U.S. and a coalition of 39 countries launched an attack called Operation Desert Storm, to drive Iraq from Kuwait.

At the end of the 43-day war, Iraqi troops were retreating, with U.S. forces in pursuit. But President George H. W. Bush (father of the current President) called U.S. troops back rather than try to overthrow Hussein.

The U.S. hoped that Hussein would fall from power on his own, as a result of Iraq's humiliating defeat in Kuwait.

No-Fly Zones Violated

After the war, the U.S. and Britain set up no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq to protect the Kurdish minority and to keep Iraqi military forces in check. The Iraqi military is forbidden from operating in these areas.

Iraq refuses to recognize the no-fly zones and, since 1998, has tried to shoot down U.S. planes patrolling the zones. U.S. officials say that recently, Iraq has been attacking U.S. planes more frequently--and with better technology.

Last month, President George W. Bush authorized air strikes, saying they were "a routine mission to enforce the no-fly zones."

Thousands of people took to the streets in Iraq and other Arab countries to protest the air strikes. The foreign minister of Egypt, a close U.S. ally in the Gulf War, called the assault "a serious negative step." France, another ally in the Gulf War, also criticized the air strikes.

This disapproval underscores a harsh reality. Despite 10 years of effort, the U.S. and its allies have failed to isolate or weaken Hussein.

Crumbling Sanctions

After the Gulf War, the UN tried to undermine Hussein's government by imposing sanctions (penalties) against Iraq. The sanctions prohibit all trade with Iraq, except for medical supplies and food, in certain circumstances. Four years ago, the UN began a "food for oil" program that allows Iraq to sell some of its oil to buy food and medicine.

But Hussein has found ways around the sanctions. According to some estimates, Hussein's government earned nearly $1 billion last year by smuggling oil to neighboring Arab countries. "It's shameless," says one oil industry leader. "Everybody is smuggling."

The only people suffering under the sanctions, many say, are the ordinary citizens of Iraq. Iraqi officials claim that 1.5 million people have died because of food and medical shortages.

UN and U.S. officials say that those figures are exaggerated. Furthermore, they say that Hussein gives food to his loyal supporters, while smuggling food out of the country to resell elsewhere.

Ease the Sanctions?

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell has proposed easing the sanctions. He suggests letting Iraq have more civilian supplies for the Iraqi people. At the same time, he says that controls should be tightened to prevent Iraq from building weapons of mass destruction.

Powell now believes that the sanctions are helping Saddam Hussein stay in power by making Iraq look like a victim. "Overdoing it with the sanctions gives him a tool that he is using against us--and really is not weakening him," says Powell.