Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

1-12-91 . . . War is in the air. President [George Herbert Walker] Bush has warned Iraqi president Saddam Hussein [1937-2006] that if he and his troops are not out of Kuwait by midnight, 15 January (next Tuesday), they may be attacked by a coalition of forces which includes the United States. Nearly half a million troops have been massed in Saudi Arabia since early August. Battleships are stationed in the Persian Gulf and Red Sea and fighter jets are ready to take off. Today the next step was taken. Congress debated a series of resolutions, ultimately issuing one that authorizes Bush to use force. The vote was close in both houses, with many senators and representatives arguing that we should give economic sanctions more time to work. I doubt the efficacy of sanctions, however. In order for sanctions to work, Hussein must (1) care about his people, (2) believe that his people are suffering, and (3) believe that the suffering outweighs any gain from staying in Kuwait. Based on what I’ve heard and read of Hussein, (1) is not true. That is, it appears that he doesn’t care about individual Iraqis. He views them as parts of a larger whole, as part of a holy war (“jihad”) against the West. At any rate, Congress didn’t declare war today or even decide that war is the right thing to do. All it did was authorize Bush to use force.