Prior to his ouster, the United States was compelled to engage in military action against Hussein as a result of his provocations in 1991, 1993, 1996, and 1998. Those military actions were precipitated by little things like the invasion and annexation of neighboring territory, the attempted assassination of an American president, and the repeated violation of UN and American post-war terms. Hussein’s commitment to destabilizing the region and overturning the balance in the region in his favor was unflappable. The Middle East was in a perpetual state of warfare punctuated by acts of regional and global terrorism targeting Western interests well before 2003. To suggest otherwise is nonsense.
Trump’s praise for the alleged terrorist-hunter Saddam is a disgusting habit deserving of categorical condemnation from every sector of responsible American society. And in giving voice to a sinister non-interventionist conceit—that Saddam’s victims died in service to “stability” and Western comfort—Trump is also holding up an unforgiving mirror to those who would prefer to avoid the reflection.
Noah Rothman: Trump, Saddam, and Dovish Logic – Commentary
